


Gimme, Gimme, Gimme A Man After Midnight

by fiveainley_ohmy, Geritashipper123



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, And she had some issues, Angst?, Drinking, Feelings, Flirting, Fluff, Human Spock, Jim and Spock have been pining for 20 years, Mamma Mia AU, Multi, Nyota is a BAMF, Past Relationship(s), So much drinking, Tasha Yar deserves love, but she's the best mom, feelings that never died, get your shit together boys, spock needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-06-12 19:29:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 28,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15347022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiveainley_ohmy/pseuds/fiveainley_ohmy, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Geritashipper123/pseuds/Geritashipper123
Summary: Two people who tried to forget each other, two people who couldn't, and a young girl who just wants her father to walk her down the aisle.Sounds like it's gonna be one hell of a wedding.(A Mamma Mia AU)





	1. I Have a Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Eyo, it's ali back at it again with the new aus!
> 
> so earlier today, I was listening to pierce brosnan sing and dreamed up a mamma mia au. Less than four hours later my good friend Victorian-Sexstashe messages me about one. We are investigating the strange link between our brains currently. 
> 
> Needless to say, a collab was imminent. 
> 
> dedicated to meryl streep and my darling co-writer, love you cate.

The boat that came to the island to pick up the mail came early every Tuesday morning, which meant that the three letters—important letters, which would ultimately change the lives of an entire community—arrived at their destinations on the following Monday, Thursday, and Friday respectively.

The first letter arrived in Boston, where Montgomery “Scotty” Scott taught an engineering class at MIT. He had to read it three times and then pinch himself before he believed it was real. Then he frantically typed up an RSVP note, and emailed his TA that he was taking leave before it finished printing. He was frantic, he admitted it. How could he not be?

_ She had changed her mind.  _ Nyota wanted to  _ see  _ him. 

Scotty tore apart his desk looking for his stamps, determined that the RSVP would go out with the next mail round. 

_ Nyota wanted to see him.  _ He had to act on this before she changed her mind.

  


* * *

  


The second letter was sent to a farm in Iowa, where a caretaker who maintained the land for its owner received it. She decided what and what not to forward to him. 

She had to call him and ask him who the hell Nyota Uhura was, only to have him immediately request it be forwarded to him in San Francisco.

When Jim heard the name Nyota Uhura, his mind was immediately sent back 20 years. A half-hearted few weeks spent in the company of a beautiful singer. Nothing compared to… 

Of course Jim thought of Nyota occasionally. She was beautiful, talented, clever; he only wanted the best for her. 

But Jim was a selfish man. The moment he heard Nyota’s name, his first thought was,  _ If anything happened to  _ **_him,_ ** _ Nyota would be the only one who knew enough details to tell him.  _

Of course, it wasn’t that. Jim was foolish to think that it had anything to do with  _ him.  _ No, Nyota wanted to see him. Her daughter was getting married, and she was taking the opportunity to mend bridges. 

Nyota had a  _ daughter.  _ It really had been 20 years. 

Well. Jim had been planning to take a vacation sometime soon anyway. God knew he needed a break from his latest novel, and Bones  _ really  _ needed a break from the hospital. 

He RSVPed, and texted Bones to say,  _ “Pack your bags, my friend. We’re going to the most beautiful little island in Greece.”  _

To which Bones replied,  _ “Why in the hell are we going to Greece? Jim? JIM.” _

  


* * *

  


The final letter also arrived in San Francisco the following Friday, but without the intervening step. The townhouse where it arrived was quaint, the home of two florists and their young daughter.

“Hey, honey?” Ben said as he came into the kitchen with the morning mail. Hikaru was pouring orange juice for Demora. “Do you know anyone in Greece?”

Hikaru’s eyebrows shot up. “Uhhh...let me see that.” He took the letter from his husband and left the room.

“Why’s Papa acting so weird, Daddy?” Demora asked Ben.

“I don’t know, sweetie,” Ben replied, just as mystified.

A few minutes later, Hikaru came back in, very wide-eyed. “I...I think I might have to go to Greece,” he said. 

Ben blinked, Demora frowned, and Hikaru shifted awkwardly before looking at Ben. 

“Can I talk to you in the living room? Please?” He said. Ben nodded slowly, kissing Demora on the forehead and telling her to eat her breakfast so he could drive her to school. 

Hikaru closed the pocket doors behind them after they went into the living room. He looked vaguely pale, concerned. Ben frowned at him as Hikaru started to pace. 

“Okay, explanation. You know how I have a boat?” 

Ben blinked. “The boat where we had our honeymoon? Yes, I am extremely well aware of that particular boat.” 

Hikaru gave him a weak smile at the joke, but it fell away and he resumed pacing. “Well…I spent some time there with a certain girl. In Greece.”

_ Oh.  _ Ben blinked, “so you’re freaking out because your ex sent you a letter?”

Hikaru paused in his pacing. “You’re not upset?”

“Why would I be upset?”

“Because my ex invited me to her daughter’s wedding.”

“Well it’s not like you’re going to hook up with her, right?”

Hikaru laughed, patting his husband on the shoulder. “Nyota is a beautiful lady, but she’s not  _ exactly _ my type.”

“Exactly,” Ben replied. “I think you should go if you want to. I can handle the flower shop for a week on my own.”

“Are you sure about that?” Hikaru asked, raising an eyebrow.

Ben rolled his eyes and kissed his smart-alec husband. “I’m surprised you didn’t ask if I could take care of Demora too.”

“Oh, that I know for sure you can do,” grinned Hikaru. That earned him another kiss.

“Small problem,” Ben said, sighing. “Tickets to Greece are expensive and it’s slow season for flowers.”

Hikaru broke out into that mischievous grin that Ben had fallen in love with, and said, “That, my dear, is where the boat comes in.” 


	2. Honey, Honey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Catie (fiveainley_ohmy) here! We got a new chapter for ya! Ali and I are SO excited about this story. So thanks for reading, and if you don’t mind, leave us a little comment? Thanks!
> 
> And Ali, you are a rock star! :D

Penda Uhura couldn’t help but let out a scream of joy as Deanna and Beverly stepped off the ferry. The brunette and the redhead caught sight of her and began screaming excitedly as well. Several people were giving them death glares, but the three girls couldn’t be bothered to care.

De and Bev threw their arms around Penda. “It’s so good to see you!” said Bev.

“Oh my God, you too! I love you guys so much!” Penda exclaimed.

“I can’t believe you’re getting married,” said Deanna, grinning hard. Then her smile dimmed as she said, “When I told my mother, she just looked at me and sighed, ‘Always a bridesmaid, never a bride.’ You have no  _ idea _ how glad I am to be out of the house.”

The girls giggled as they made their way down the pier. “This place is even more gorgeous than in your pictures, Pen,” sighed Beverly, gazing around the paradise-like island. “I’m so glad I packed my bikini.”

“Me too,” added Deanna.

“Oh don’t you guys know that all the beaches in Greece are nude?” Penda said.

“ _ WHAT?! _ ” squawked De and Bev, nearly dropping their luggage.

Penda laughed so hard that she began to tear up. “You should see your faces! Oh my god, I wish I had a camera.”

De and Bev groaned, shoving her. Penda laughed, and Bev tugged her ponytail playfully. “So, I can’t wait to meet Tasha,” she said.

“Oh my God, you’re gonna love her,” gushed Penda. “Of course, not as much as I do.”

“How did you meet?” Deanna asked.

“Tasha teaches a self-defense class for women here on the island. She’s very physical.”

“That must be a plus,” Beverly said with a smirk.

“Oh my God, you’re terrible!” Penda laughed, now giving her a shove. “Okay, but seriously, girls. I’m so excited about this wedding.”

“You never seemed like the type to get married,” Deanna admitted. “What’s got you so excited?”

Penda bit her lip. “Okay...I have a secret to tell you: my father is coming to the wedding.”

Beverly and Deanna gasped in unison. “I thought you didn’t know where he is!” Deanna squawked.

“I didn’t, until a couple of weeks ago! Look, come with me. I’ll explain everything...”

* * *

When they finally got to the hotel and set their bags down in their room, Penda pulled out a red leather notebook covered in star stickers. “I was ransacking some old boxes Mom had in storage when I found  _ this _ ...it’s the diary Mom kept the year she was pregnant with me.”

“That must have been horrifying to read your mother’s exploits,” Deanna said. She shuddered. “I know my mother’s are.”

“What does it say?” Bev asked.

Penda grinned and opened the cover. “‘ _ Dear diary. Monty’s the one. I can’t believe it. He’s so sweet and funny, and somehow he makes the bagpipes not sound totally egregious. And he’s smart to boot. He’s got a degree in Engineering. He was even able to fix my motorcycle! That’s how we met. He was so adorable when he was flirting with me, and he didn’t even know he had motor oil smeared on his nose.’ _ ”

“Aww, that’s really cute,” said Beverly.

“It sounds like your mom really liked him,” Deanna added.

“Oh, you have no idea,” said Penda. She looked at the page again. “ _ Honey honey, how he thrills me, uh huh, honey honey. Honey honey, nearly kill me, uh huh, honey honey...I've heard about him before...I wanted to know some more...and now I know what they mean, he's a love machine, oh, he makes me dizzy!” _

“Wow!” laughed De and Bev.

_ “ _ And then there’s this entry. ‘ _ We went out for the third time last night. We danced a little, drank a little, and then he kissed me. He was such a gentleman...and then he wasn’t.. _ .’”

“I don’t get it. What happened next?” Deanna asked.

Penda raised an eyebrow at her. “It’s got a winky face and a heart drawn next to it.”

Then Deanna got it. “Oh...”

“Good for you, Nyota,” Beverly tittered.

“So this Monty is your father?” said Deanna.

“The plot thickens,” Penda replied. “ _ ‘Dear diary. Monty is going away. Apparently he’s got a fianceé in Scotland. I can’t believe it. That bastard!’ _ ”

“Amen,” said Beverly.

“‘ _ So I did something stupid--and by ‘something stupid’, I mean James Kirk _ .’”

“ _ What?! _ ” De and Bev exclaimed at the same time. They scrambled over to read over Penda’s shoulder.

“‘ _ I don’t know what I was thinking! We were comforting each other--Jim was going through his own tragic breakup--we decided to get drunk, and one thing led to another...’ _ ”

“Oh my God,” said Bev.

“I know, right?” said Penda. “ _ Honey honey, let me feel it, uh huh, honey honey. Honey honey, don't conceal it, uh huh, honey honey. _ ”

_ “The way that you kiss good night _ ,’” the three girls read together. “‘ _ The way that you hold me tight...I feel like I wanna sing, when you do your.... _ **_THING_ ** _!” _

“But that’s not all,” said Penda, flipping a couple pages. “‘ _ Dear diary. I’ve been hanging out with this tourist named Hikaru a lot lately. He’s so much fun and he’s so sweet; he brought me a potted plant yesterday. I can tell he wants to cheer me up after You-Know-Who left (I refuse to speak his name ever again). Anyway we went out dancing, and I guess we got caught up in the moment, because next thing I know...’” _

The three girls screamed. “ _ Honey honey, touch me baby, uh huh, honey honey _ ,” they sang together. “ _ Honey honey, hold me baby, uh huh, honey honey! You look like a movie star...but I know just who you are...and honey, to say the least...you’re a doggone...BEAST! _ ”

“So which one is your dad?” Deanna asked.

“I have  _ no _ idea!” Penda said.

“Well which one did you invite to the wedding?” Beverly said.

Penda bit her lip and smiled sheepishly.

“ _ Oh. My. God. _ ” Beverly and De fell back onto the couch, staring at their friend incredulously.

“I know, I know,” sighed Penda, laughing.

“Your mother is going to kill you!” Bev said.

“My mother wouldn’t,” Deanna muttered, frowning.

“By the time she finds out, it’ll be too late,” said Penda.

“Does Tasha know they’re coming?” Deanna asked.

“She would’ve just told me I should have asked my mom first,” said Penda. “Look, they’re going to show up here any minute, and soon as I see him...I’ll just know.”

Bev and De looked at her questioningly, then sighed, giving in. They all began giggling again.

“Hello?” The door opened and in came Penda’s mom, Nyota Uhura, with an armful of fresh towels. Penda quickly hid the diary behind her back. “Hi, girls,” said Nyota, smiling warmly at them.

“Hi, Nyota.” De and Bev got up to give her a hug.

Nyota squeezed them back. “Oh my God, stop  _ growing! _ ” she laughed. “I’m so glad you’re here for the wedding. Are you girls having fun?”

“Mmhmm.” All three nodded, biting back mischievous smiles.

Nyota sighed longingly. “I used to have fun.”

“Oh, we know,” Bev said. Penda elbowed her.

Nyota glanced over her shoulder at them, frowning. Then she shrugged a little and walked out. The three girls waited until she was gone before turning to each other and shrieking excitedly. 

_ “Honey honey, how he thrills me, uh huh, honey honey-“  _ Penda sang, with Bev and De backing her up.  _ “Honey honey, nearly  _ **_kills_ ** _ me, uh huh, honey honey…”  _

The three girls approached the windows, and Penda’s smile softened as she looked out over the sea and imagined what it would be like to meet her father. 

_ “I’ve heard about you before… I wanted to know some more… and now I can’t wait to see, what you mean to me…”  _

* * *

Miles away, on the mainland, two taxis sped through the port, turning up the same pier and stopping just short of the edge. Three men—all jet lagged, desperate, and frustrated—tossed some euros to the driver, grabbed their things and climbed out of the taxis. 

Only to watch the ferry sail away. 

“Dammit!” Scotty cursed, slamming his fist into his thigh. 

“My thoughts exactly,” Jim said, glancing over at the man he’d never met.

Leonard rolled his eyes and tugged on Jim’s sleeve. “Remind me why we have to go to this particular island when we have, y’know,  _ all of Greece?” _

“Because that island is where the wedding is!” Jim said, exasperated that they were having this conversation again.

Leonard rolled his eyes. “Ah yes! The wedding of two women we have never met, so exciting!” 

“You too?” Scotty said quizzically.

Jim nodded, sighing. “Bones, for the last time, you know Nyota!”

“And I’ll tell  _ you  _ for the last time, 1998 was my divorce year, and I was drunk for 80 percent of it. You’re lucky I remember Spock, much less your rebound girl.”

“Nyota was more than a rebound girl!” Jim insisted.

Scotty cleared his throat. “You, ah…dated Nyota? In 1998?” 

Jim looked over at him, blinking. “Uh...yeah…did you?”

Scotty nodded, and an awkward silence fell over the pier. 

“Uh… the boat! When’s the next boat!” Leonard suddenly insisted, and Jim sprung into action, studying the sign. 

Scotty read the other side, then groaned. 

_ “Deftéra,”  _ He said in Greek, “Monday. Bollocks.”

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly,” Jim groaned.

“Hey!” 

All three men looked up to see a sort of hippie-ish looking man hanging from the rigging of a sailboat.

Hikaru waved, grinning.  “You guys need a ride to Kaliope?!”


	3. Money, Money, Money

On the ferry that left Jim, Leonard, and Montgomery behind, two men fought their way to some open seats. One was tall, with pitch black hair and dark eyes that contrasted handsomely to his pale skin and short sleeved white button down. The other one was short, with curly hair and round cheeks, eyes filled with mirth as he shouted loudly.

“Pardon me, pardon me! Excuse us please, my father needs somewhere to sit, he’s very-“

“Pavel!”

“Hush you, the boat ride is almost an hour and I am not standing. Excuse us please, my father needs a perch!”

“We don’t even look alike,” the taller man groused even as he sat in the space cleared for them both, squishing against his smaller friend. Pavel Chekov just grinned up at him, freckles smeared across his cheeks which were bright red from the heat.

Spock Grayson merely sighed at his old friend and shifted, trying to get comfortable on the wooden bench. This was the only part about going to the island that he didn’t like—well, other than the memories being in Europe at all tended to drag up. He came here quite often for work, he’d been everywhere that he’d gone with…

It never got easier. It was supposed to, he was sure. It just _didn’t._

* * *

Nyota pulled up a few yards away down from the dock in her rusty red Jeep and parked. Her sharp eyes scanned the people disembarking from the ferry. When she caught sight of Spock and Pavel, she grinned excitedly.

“Well, well, look what the tide dragged in,” she called as her old friends approached her.

“Nyota!” Pavel squealed, running toward her and throwing his arms around her waist.

Nyota hugged him back eagerly. Then she dragged Spock into the hug as well. Spock rolled his eyes, pretending not to enjoy it, and hugged her back.

“Nyota and the Nytromes, reunited for one night only!” Pavel cheered.

Spock actually let out a small laugh, squeezing Nyota tighter. “I can not believe you talked me into this.”

“Oh please, you missed performing!” Nyota teased, kissing her old friend on the cheek before she stepped back to gaze at her two friends.

“I’m so glad you two are here,” Nyota said. “Planning Penda’s wedding has been an absolute nightmare!”

“Good thing Spock is here; he’s had three of them!” Pavel teased.

Spock rolled his eyes again. “Then why precisely are _you_ here? You’ve never been married.”

“And never going to,” Pavel said proudly. “I am an _odinokiy volk_. A lone wolf.” He threw his head back and howled.

“You guys,” laughed Nyota, throwing her arms around their shoulders and leading them back to her Jeep.

“So what did happen to husband number 3?” Nyota asked Spock on the drive up to the hotel. “Stan, right?”

“His name was Stonn,” Spock said. “And things simply didn’t work out between us.”

“He hasn’t been satisfied since he broke up with Ji-“

Spock gave Pavel a glare. “I do not wish to talk about that.”

“Maybe you’ll find husband number four at the wedding,” Nyota joked.

“Oh please, no, no more.” Spock said, looking ill at the thought. “True Love is a myth, and I’m done with it.” Then he glanced at Nyota. “You however-“

“Oh no, no! No trying to set me up!” Nyota said, taking a hand off the wheel to waggle a finger at them.

“But Nyny!” Pavel whined, “I’m ace, and Spock is old, but you can have literally anyone! It’s time you found your love!”

“Some influence you two are on my daughter! The hopeless Baba Yaga-“

“Hey! Baba Yaga can steal that beauty of yours!” Pavel warned, and Nyota snorted before gesturing to Spock.

“Yeah well, my daughter’s only uncles are male Baba Yaga and serial husband back there!”

“Hilarious,” Spock groused. “When is the next ferry back?”

Pavel and Nyota laughed, and each one reached back to take a hand and squeeze, comforting him.

A woman with very short blonde hair was waiting for them at the front gate of Villa Nyota to help with their bags. “Hello,” she greeted them. “I’m Natasha Yar.”

“Ah, you are the fiancée,” Pavel said. “Pavel Chekov. And I’m not saying all Russians have ties to the family, but if you ever hurt our little Penda...”

“Ignore him, Miss Yar. Pavel can be quite silly at times,” said Spock.

Tasha smiled at Pavel. “Believe me, Nyota’s already given me the shovel talk.”

“I’ve given her my seal of approval.” Nyota kissed her soon-to-be daughter-in-law’s cheek as she handed her a few bags. “Could you take these up, please?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Tasha hoisted the bags like they weighed nothing—and Spock had brought a _lot_ of clothes. Her toned biceps bulged slightly as she toted the luggage up the path.

“So, that’s Penda’s wife to be?” Spock asked once she was out of an earshot, grabbing the rest of his bags.

Nyota nodded, sighing. “I really don’t know what their plan is, Spock. Penda wants a big white wedding, Tasha wants to travel the world…”

“But do you _want_ Pen to leave?” Pavel asked.

Nyota shrugged. “I want what’s best for her…”

She looked at their ludicrous expressions and snorted, “Of course I don’t!”

The trio laughed their way up the stairs.

* * *

“Uncle Pavel!” squealed Penda, running downstairs to throw her arms around her godfather, with De and Bev trailing after her.

“Oh my goodness, look at you! You’re even more beautiful than I remember!” Pavel exclaimed.

Penda blushed. “We have your cookbook in our kitchen. I really love the raspberry pastila.”

Spock stepped forward. “I don’t suppose you remember me...”

Penda smiled. “Aw, Uncle Spock, of course I do.” She hugged him as well. “You haven’t changed a bit.”

“So many people coming to this wedding,” commented Tasha, coming out to join them.

“Well of course, baby,” Penda said, wrapping an arm around Tasha’s waist. “Mom is very popular, you know.” She threw Deanna and Beverly a knowing look, and the two of them bit back snorts of laughter.

“You girls go play,” Nyota joked, pushing on them. “Spock and Pavel need to get settled in.”

The four young women wandered off, and Nyota led Spock and Pavel into their room. “Okay, so the thing about the toilet...if it doesn’t flush, just...wait, and try it again.”

Spock and Pavel shared a look.

Nyota shrugged sheepishly. “Nothing works around here.” She crossed the room to open the shutters and let some fresh air in. “Except for me— _ahh!_ ”

One of the shutters fell completely off its hinges and down below amidst a group of islanders. They all looked up at her.

Nyota sighed. “ _I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay!_ ”

“ _Ain’t it sad_ ,” her friends commented sympathetically.

“ _And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me,_ ” Nyota continued to complain.

“ _That’s too bad!_ ” Pavel and Spock replied.

“ _In my dreams, I have a plan_ ,” Nyota told them as she went outside and downstairs to fetch the shutter. “ _That I’d get me a wealthy man! I wouldn’t have to work at all; I’d fool around and have a ball..._ ”

“ _Money, money, money,_ ” she and the islanders commiserated. “ _Must be funny...in a rich man’s world. Money, money, money...always sunny. In a rich man’s world_.”

“ _All the things I could do_ ,” Nyota lamented. “ _If I had a little money...it’s a rich man’s world_.”

Spock and Pavel scurried to keep up with her as she made her way into the kitchen, where they were preparing dinner. “ _A man like that is hard to find_ ,” Spock told her.

“ _But I can’t get him off my mind_ ,” Nyota shot back.

The kitchen staff looked at each other and murmured, “ _Ain’t it sad_.”

Nyota looked sadly at the big fish that was going to be eaten by all of them tonight. “ _And if he happens to be free, I bet he wouldn’t fancy me,_ ” she pouted.

“ _That’s too bad!_ ” the cooks said.

“ _So I must leave, I have to go_ ,” Nyota said, looking off into the distance. “ _To Las Vegas, or Monaco. I’d win a fortune in a game, my life would never be the same...”_

Nyota envisioned herself standing at the helm of a gigantic yacht, in a flowing satin gown, perusing the ocean water, without a care in the world. “ _Money, money, money...must be funny...in a rich man’s world. Money, money, money...always sunny...in a rich man’s world. All the things I could do! If I had a little money...it’s a rich man’s world_.”

Nyota was shaken out of her reverie and looked at all the laundry hanging on the line, ready to be folded. She sighed, grabbed a laundry basket, and began gathering it. “ _It’s a rich man’s world_ ,” she huffed.

Pavel touched her elbow. “Come, _l’vionak_. Leave that for the moment. I have a bottle of _real_ Russian vodka in my suitcase.”

Nyota laughed tiredly and set the basket down. “You know what? Why not.”


	4. Mamma Mia!

With Kaliope in the distance, Hikaru finally took the time to sit back and breathe in the salty air. His parents had both been ship captains, so he’d spent his childhood on the sea. Then they’d died, and he’d spent his adolescence in the air, learning to fly planes at his grandmother’s airfield. He loved both the sea and the air, but it was good for him to be stable.

Perhaps, he mused, that was why he liked flowers enough to open a shop. As an adult, he finally got to spend time on dry land and smell the plants that lived there.

Plus, it had led him to Ben, which was the most important thing.

“I know you,” said one of his passengers—Scotty, as he preferred to be called. He was speaking to one of the other passengers, who’d introduced himself as Jim. “You’re James Kirk, you write the _Nightelf_ series.”

“Among other things,” Jim said, smiling modestly.

Scotty gave him a serious look. “Valek was the character who helped me come to terms with my bisexuality. Your books came to me at a rough time and helped me through it.”

Jim’s eyes softened, and he nodded. “Always nice to meet a fan. You said you know Nyota—she directly inspired Maria.”

“The siren?” Scotty asked, eyes widening. Then he chuckled. “That’s…apt.”

“Nyota Uhura?” Hikaru asked, and both men turned to look at him. They nodded, and he grinned. _“Apt_ doesn’t do justice to how well that fits, my friend.”

“You know her too?” his final passenger, Leonard, asked. At Hikaru’s answering nod, Leonard threw his hands up in the air. “Does _everyone_ remember this girl except _me?!”_

“She really is trying to mend bridges,” Scotty sighed, looking…tense, to say the least. Hikaru frowned. Nyota, the girl who sang to roses, made someone scared? Just what had Scotty done?

But the question would have to wait—the dock was growing larger in the corner of Hikaru’s eye, and he climbed to his feet. “Alright, enough talk, let’s tie her down!”

Scotty and Jim sprung into action, while Leonard grumbled about an open bar and went below deck.

* * *

While Spock showered, Pavel was unpacking the bags. “Oh my goodness, Nyota, look at this!”

He turned around, holding up a speedo of all things, bright green. “Oh my _god!!”_

Nyota burst out laughing, and from in the shower Spock called, _“Pavel, put it down!”_

“You’ve given up on love but you brought the banana hammock? Faker!” Pavel shouted back.

 _“I’m depressed, not dead!”_ Spock shouted back, and Pavel laughed jovially.

Nyota giggled with him, then sighed. “Are you worried about him?” she asked Pavel softly.

Pavel set the Speedo down and nodded, sighing. “He’s been working really hard lately. You know how he is about his father’s precious company.”

They shared a brief scowl at the mention of Sarek, who had tried to groom his son to ignore his bisexuality and dreams and feelings to become head of the large financial corporation he’d built. And Spock had sort of done it—he’d made himself into the head of R&D for the company, traveling around the world to oversee various projects and review contracts. It was a good life, Pavel supposed, but maybe not the happiest one. Sarek was a good man, but he’d raised his son like a protegé instead of a child, and he was certain it was why Spock was so lonely.

“He’s here now,” Nyota said, “and especially with Penda flying the nest, I’m not letting him leave until he’s relaxed.”

“Can I get some of that?” Pavel asked, and they laughed again, the momentary negative mood gone. The shower turned off, and Spock came out with a towel around his waist and the other rubbing his hair dry. Pavel immediately dove back into Spock’s suitcase to pull out a jar of lotion.

“Here Spock, use your fourteen karat gold lotion with _lotus extract?!”_

“Oh god, that’s Stonn’s!” Spock groaned, and Pavel _cackled_ with laughter.

Nyota poured them all vodka shots. “Here,” she said, handing them out. “To drinking before noon!”

“ _Opa!_ ” the boys cheered as they clinked their shot glasses together.

* * *

Penda was hauling some boxes for her mom when a voice caught her ear. “Excuse me!”

Penda turned to see four men about her mom’s age standing there armed with luggage. “Hi!” she said brightly. “Can I help you?”

“We’re here for the wedding,” said one man in a thick Scottish brogue. “Are you perchance one o’ the brides?”

“Yeah!” Penda replied. “I’m Penda Uhura.”

“Ach, I thought so. You look so like your mother when she was your age.” The Scotsman took off his sunglasses and smiled pleasantly. “Montgomery Scott, at your service.”

Penda’s heart skipped a beat. _Monty!_

The blonde guy next to him gave her a megawatt grin. “James Kirk. Lovely to meet you.”

_Jim!_

“Hikaru Sulu,” said the third man. He waved cordially. “How’d you do?”

 _Holy shit, they’re all here!...and I have_ **_no_ ** _clue which one it is_. Penda stared wide-eyed at the three possible men who could be her father.

The fourth piped up, clearing his throat gruffly. “And I’m Leonard McCoy.” He pointed his thumb at Jim sarcastically. “I’m his date.”

“Don’t mind Bones,” Jim laughed, bumping the Southerner with his elbow. “He’s always grumpy.”

_Double crap. I only set up three beds!_

“We’re quite anxious to see Nyota again,” said Scotty. “Well...I am.”

“Uh, wait!” Penda blurted. She turned and beckoned for them to follow her into the wine cellar. “ _This_ way.”

The four men looked at each other questioningly, then shrugged and followed after her.

* * *

Nyota sighed, laying back on the couch with her head on Pavel’s shoulder and her knees across Spock’s lap. “Ugh. I don’t know what I’m going to do with this place. I wish more customers would come. I don’t understand why they don’t. This is a gorgeous locale. You know, the natives say this island was supposed to be the site of Aphrodite’s fountain.”

“Nyota, there is no shame in asking me for a loan if you need it,” said Spock.

“Oh, no!” Nyota said. “No, no, no. I’m just whining. The truth is, I love my life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

“But seriously, darling, are you happy? You know Pen isn’t going to stay on the island with you forever—especially now that she has Tasha. Wouldn’t it be nice to have _someone_ around?” Pavel asked.

“ _Uuuuugh_ , I told you guys, I am absolutely fine without some man trying to tell me how to run my hotel and my life.”

“You know a husband would be for more than just bossing you around,” Spock said.

Nyota lifted her head. “Like what?”

Spock and Pavel shared suggestive looks.

“Oh, _that_ .” Nyota sat up and grinned. “Well, don’t worry. I take care of _that_ by myself as well.”

Pavel and Spock burst into laughter.

Suddenly there was a small tremor, and a loud screech from outside.

Nyota looked at her friends with worry, and then they rushed outside.

* * *

Penda led them into the attic of the old goat house. Scotty, Jim, Hikaru, and Bones looked around. Three cots had been set up amidst the storage boxes and cobwebs. Bones looked at Penda. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Yeah, not to sound picky, but can you show us to our _actual_ rooms please?” Jim said.

Penda bit her lip, grinning. “Okay. The thing is... _I_ sent the invites. Mom has no idea you’re here.”

“ _What?_ ” all four men exclaimed.

“I wanted to surprise her,” said Penda. Okay, so she was fibbing a _little_ . But only a little. After all, Nyota would _definitely_ be surprised...

“I don’t believe this!” Bones groused.

“Penda, me darlin’, the last time I saw your mother, she said she never wanted to see me again. _Ever_ ,” Scotty said.

“She probably wouldn’t be too pleased to see any of us,” added Jim. “Bones, I’m sorry to have dragged you all this way for nothing, but we have to go. Hikaru, can you get your boat?”

“Yep,” said Hikaru calmly, relaxing on his cot. “But I won’t.”

“ _What?_ ” Scotty, Jim, and Bones chorused.

“It’s an adventure, you guys,” said Hikaru with a grin. “You’ve been invited to a wedding on the most gorgeous island on Earth. Don’t you at least wanna stay for the reception?”

“And...whatever happened between you guys and my mom is ancient history,” Pen said. “I’m sure she’s forgotten all about it.”

The men chuckled at that. “So young, so innocent,” sighed Scotty patronizingly.

“Look, _please_ , it would mean a lot to me if you stayed. It’s just for a day. As soon as the wedding’s over, you can go back to your lives. Besides...” Penda grinned knowingly. “There had to be some reason you flew...or sailed...all this way. Maybe...nostalgia for some fond summer memories?”

The guys laughed again. “This is _definitely_ Nyota’s kid,” said Jim. “Pretty as the devil and twice as smart.”

“I guess we’re stayin’ then?” Bones grumbled at him, plopping down one of the beds.

“Well, why not? I do love a good wedding.” Jim looked to Scotty. “That’s three to one. Whaddya say?”

Scotty bit his lip. Then he smiled a bit. “I have missed her an awful lot,” he murmured.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Penda rushed forward to hug them all. “You have no _idea_ what this means to me. Now remember: Mom _cannot_ know you’re here. Not until the wedding. You can’t tell _anyone_ you’re here. Promise?”

“We promise, kiddo,” said Jim.

“Aye, we’ll keep the secret,” Scotty agreed.

“My lips are sealed.” Hikaru winked.

“Great. I gotta go now, but you guys stay here and just...settle in...” Penda opened a window and stuck her leg out. “Bye!”

It was then that Jim noticed the bed problem. Hikaru, Scotty, and Bones had claimed them all. “Hey, wait! What about the other bed?!” he called after her, but Penda was already gone.

“Hey, Jim. Here’s an old hammock,” Hikaru said, pulling it off of a pile of stuff. “Looks like it’ll hold.”

Jim sighed. “Good enough for me. Help me hang this thing, would you?”

* * *

Nyota came outside to see that some of her employees were standing around a sizable crack that had appeared in the middle of the courtyard patio. “Oh God,” she said, laughing weakly. “We’re literally coming apart at the seams here. I can fix this. I think I have some caulk in my old goat house.”

“Old goat house? Is that a euphemism?” Spock asked jestingly.

“Oh my God, you guys are _relentless!_ ” Nyota exclaimed, bursting with laughter. “Go get another drink or something, I have to play handywoman.”

She wandered off, going into the goat house to look for the caulk, grumbling to herself about the mess she’d let it become. And then, she heard it.

_Creak._

She froze, thinking it came from under her. But no, it came from the ceiling above her.

_Creak._

No one was supposed to be up there, there was nasty air and bugs up there. Probably another cat thinking they can have their babies in her storage room. Sighing, she went over to the steps and pushed on the trapdoor to open it.

She was met with resistance and frowned, certain she’d oiled those hinges recently. She pushed harder, managing to open it a crack...

...and she saw shoes, human shoes for human feet and  _why were humans in her goat house?_

She pushed harder, and she caught a glimpse of blonde hair— _blonde hair, blonder than she’d ever seen and all natural, along with the bluest eyes she’d ever seen-_

 _“Jim?!”_ She whispered to herself. Her eyes swung to the left, a flower tattoo on someone’s ankle— _she’d gotten matching tattoos with him, he’d called her his flower girl, special-_

 _“Hikaru,”_ she murmured, and...God knew what made her do it, but she looked to the right.

Heterochromatic eyes. Warm, calloused hands, gentle smiles and _you saved my life Nyota-_

Nyota gasped and dropped the trapdoor, overwhelmed by her emotions. _“I was cheated by you, and I think you know when,”_ she sang, feeling her heart beat fast in her chest. _“So I made up my mind, it must come to an end.”_

She climbed down the stairs and exited the goat house, leaning against the wall and trying to steady herself.

 _“Look at me now,”_ she sang almost bitterly, _“will I ever learn? I don’t know how! But I suddenly lose control…”_

She glanced up at the window, swallowing. _“There’s a fire within my soul…”_

She climbed up, wanting just another peek. _“Just one look and I can hear a bell ring. One more look and I forget everything-“_

She opened the shutters to see that someone had blocked the window off. She groaned, _“Whoa-oh oh-oh...“_

 _“Mamma Mia,”_ she sang as she crept up to the roof, and heard the people in the courtyard joining her, _“here I go again. My my, how can I resist ya? Mamma Mia...does it show again? My my, just how much I missed ya!”_

 _“Yes, I’ve been broken-hearted!_ ” Nyota bellowed. “ _Blue since the day we parted...why, why did I ever let you go? Mamma Mia...now I really know. My, my, I should not have let you go._ ”

Nyota hung her head over the side of the goat house to look through another window, one that wasn’t blocked off. She stared at Scotty, who was sitting on the foot of his bed, reading a book. “ _I was angry and sad when I knew we were through_ ,” she sang. “ _I can’t count all of the times, I’ve cried over you_...”

Nyota pulled herself up. “ _Look at me now. Will I ever learn? I don’t know how...but I suddenly lose control...there’s a fire within my soul. Just one look and I can hear a bell ring. One more look and I forget everything...whoa-oh, oh-oh!_ ”

Nyota tiptoed over to the trapdoor on the roof of the house, trying not to make any boards creak. “ _Mamma Mia..._ ” she whispered. “ _Here I go again. My, my...how can I resist ya? Mamma Mia...does it show again? My, my...just how much I missed ya?_ ” Nyota opened the door and looked down into the room. “ _Yes, I’ve been broken-hearted! Blue since the day we parted. Why, why...did I ever let you go? Mamma Mia...now I really know. Why, why...I should not have let you go-WHOA!_ ”

Nyota lost her balance and tumbled flailing into the guys’ room, falling on her back into Jim’s hammock.

The four men leaned over her, looking down at her. “You always did know how to make an entrance,” Sulu said with a rascally grin.


	5. Chiquitita, You’re A Dancing Queen

Nyota stared up at them, feeling sick to her stomach, and anger bubbling in her throat. 

“I had better be dreaming,” she said, climbing to her feet and jabbing a finger in Scotty’s general direction. “I had better be  _ fucking dreaming  _ because you all  _ cannot  _ be here—what are you doing here Hikaru?!”

She whirled on the Asian man, who just grinned brightly at her and said, “Spontaneous visit!” 

She growled and turned again. “Jim?!”

“Uh...setting for my-my next novel!” Jim said frantically, significantly more scared than Hikaru.

Nyota whirled around again. “And you-...wait, who are you?”

The man she didn’t recognize was sitting in the corner, flask halfway to his lips. “I’m Leonard McCoy and I was promised an open bar,” he said mournfully, taking a long swig of his drink. 

Nyota threw her hands up, vaguely remembering Jim’s alcoholic bestie, and turned on Scotty, who looked at her with what were essentially puppy dog eyes. 

“I’m just here to see the island,” he said quietly. “You know what it meant to me.” 

And  _ damn him  _ for being so genuine. 

“Well you— _ all  _ of you can’t stay here!” Nyota said, brushing past them to grab the duffel bags and half opened suitcases. “None of you! We’re closed, private event!” 

“Yes, the wedding, we heard!” Hikaru said, “and may I just say congra-“

“And you!” Nyota turned and pointed a finger at Jim. “You in particular. You need to leave  _ now,  _ before-“ 

She faltered, and Jim frowned. “Before what?” he asked.

Nyota pursed her lips and stalked over to the trapdoor in the floor. “Get off my island, Kirk. All of you! Find a boat-“

“I have a boat,” Hikaru interjected.

Nyota glanced back at him. “You have a boat?”

“You went on that boat!”

“Oh, that boat. Well get on that boat and get out of here!” Nyota said, heading down the ladder. 

“Nyota!” Jim called, and she glanced back. All three of them were smiling politely at her. 

“It was good to see you!” they chorused. 

And suddenly, it was too much. 

She dropped down, feeling tears prick at her eyes. And then she ran.

* * *

Spock knew that the bartender was flirting with him. Gaila was what her name tag read, and she seemed to be one of those girls who flirted with everyone.

“Now this, boys, will  _ really  _ tickle those tastebuds!” She insisted, pushing two drinks towards him and Pavel, waggling her brows.

Spock huffed and took his drink. “Young lady-“ he began.

Pavel snorted and Gaila laughed. Spock rolled his eyes at both of them. “Young lady, we are both old enough to be your fathers,” he continued.

“Grandfathers!” Pavel interjected, laughing.

And then, Nyota ran into the courtyard, pale as a ghost. Spock frowned at her, and she stared at him for a second before breaking into sobs and running into the ladies’ room. 

Pavel and Spock shared a look, then grabbed their drinks and ran to the door. 

“Nyota!” Pavel called, rapping on the door. “Nyota! Come out!”

“I think we have to go in.” Spock said, and Pavel blinked at him, then sighed and shrugged, pushing open the door to the ladies’ room. 

“Two people with penises, coming in! This is an emergency!” Pavel shouted. Luckily, the bathroom was apparently empty except for Nyota, who was crying in a locked stall. 

Spock set his drink down on the sink and started knocking. “Nyota? Nyota, please come out…”

Nyota didn’t respond except for muffled sobbing, and Pavel went over, frowning. He and Spock shared a look, and then Pavel got an idea. He snapped, then nodded at Spock. He moved closer to the door, leaning in.  _ “Chiquitita, tell me what’s wrong!”  _ Pavel sang—slightly off key, yes, but Nyota used to sing it to Penda, this song was special.

When the next line didn’t immediately come, Pavel elbowed Spock and glared up at him. Spock blinked in realization. “Oh, um... _ never before have I…seen such sorrow.”  _ He sang, messing up the beat in the struggle to remember the words. 

Pavel sighed, shrugging. They both leaned in to continue the song.  _ “I-I-i-in your eyes… and the wedding is…”  _ They shared a horrified look. “ **_Tomorrow_ ** _! _ ” 

Nyota’s sobbing picked up. 

Clearly, it was time for dire measures.

“Get on my back,” Pavel hissed, and Spock stared at him like he’d lost his mind. But when Pavel crouched down, Spock grumbled and then kicked off his shoes, hopping up on Pavel’s back before hooking his arms over the top of the door to take some of the weight off. Pavel huffed. Spock was skinny, but he weighed a lot more than he looked.

_ “How I hate to see you like… _ this,” Spock continued breathlessly, gazing at Nyota’s tear-streaked face. Her eyes were puffy and the end of her nose had flared up too.

Pavel craned his head under the door to continue.  _ “There is no way you can deny it!” _

He could only imagine the picture they made to the people in the courtyard: Spock in his short sleeve button down and suit pants and Pavel in his Hawaiian shirt, one using the other as a stool to peek over a stall  _ in the girls’ bathroom. _

_ “I-iiii-I can see, that you’re oh so SA-“ _

Before they could finish the word, Nyota abruptly stood and shoved the stall door open, taking Spock with it. Pavel rolled on the floor to avoid getting hit, and she stepped over him to slam the bathroom door shut.

Pavel climbed to his feet as Spock hopped down and Nyota went over to the sink.

_ “Chiquitita, tell me the truth…”  _ Pavel and Spock sang softly, going over to her.  _ “I’m a shoulder you can cry on…” _

Spock placed a hand on her shoulder, while Pavel wrapped his arms around one of hers.  _ “Yo-our best friend. I’m the one you can rely on…” _

Nyota twisted until she could sit on the sink as the boys continued to try and cheer her up.  _ “You were always sure of yourself…now I see you’ve broken a feather…” _

The two hopped up on either side of her, sandwiching her in a tight hug.  _ “I-iii-I hope, we can patch it up together!” _

Spock suddenly straightened and pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket, passing them to Pavel so he could start cleaning Nyota up. 

_ “Chiquitita, you and I know!”  _ Pavel and Spock sang, gently cleaning her cheeks.  _ “How the heartaches come and they go and the scars they’re leaving…”  _

Spock started combing his fingers through her hair, pushing it out of her face.  _ “You’ll be dancing once again, and the pain will end, you will have no time for grieving.” _

Pavel wet his hand in the sink and gently rubbed some water under her eyes, making her cheeks look less flushed and eyes less puffy.  _ “Chiquitita, you and I cry! But the sun is still in the sky and shining above you!” _

They helped her hop off the sink, and squeezed her hands again. Pavel grabbed Spock’s drink from the edge of the sink and tilted it into her mouth to encourage her to drink.  _ “Let me hear you sing once more, like you did before...sing a new song, Chiquitita…” _

Nyota made a frantic noise in her throat as Pavel tilted the drink back too far and quickly grabbed the glass from his hand, lowering it so she could breathe.  _ “Try…once more,”  _ she sang hoarsely.  _ “Like I did, before. Sing a new song…” _

Nyota sighed, looking at herself in the mirror. She sniffled and accepted another tissue, wiping her nose before saying, “It’s her dad.”

“Who’s dad?” Pavel asked.

Nyota groaned.  _ “Penda’s  _ dad, pasha. You guys remember how I said it was Montgomery, Montgomery the troubled soul, the engineer who was engaged the whole time?” 

The boys nodded, and Nyota looked at the floor, feeling terrible. “Well… I don’t know if it was. Because I…” 

She looked at Spock, tears welling in her eyes again. “Honey, I’m so-“

“Nyota, what is it?” Spock asked gently, and Nyota choked on another sob as she grasped his arms. 

“Jim Kirk,” she whispered, and Spock tensed. “For… a few weeks, I dated Jim Kirk. I slept with him and I’m  _ so sorry oh god please don’t hate me-“ _

“No no-“ Spock quickly hugged his friend, kissing the top of her head. “Ny, I could  _ never  _ hate you. It’s okay. J…Jim is hard to resist. I’m sorry you had to sleep with him, he’s a terrible lover.”

“No, he’s not,” Nyota sobbed against his chest.

Spock sighed. “You’re right, he’s amazing. I was trying to make you feel better.” 

“So it’s either this Montgomery guy or Jim? As in  _ Spock’s  _ James Head-Banger T-for-troublemaker Kirk?” Pavel clarified

Nyota nodded, biting her lip. She stepped away from Spock and swept at her tears with the back of her hand. “And...”

The boys share a glance and leaned in.  _ “And?”  _ they prompted.

Nyota sighed and closed her eyes. “And also some hippie named Hikaru Sulu.” 

“Hikaru Sulu?!” Pavel half-shrieked. They both looked at him, and Pavel flushed. “Cute Asian? Rose tattoo, gay as all hell?”

Nyota frowned “Hikaru was-“

Pavel blushed more, “I was his uh, gay realization. And he was my penultimate… partner.”

Nyota stared at him, then cried guiltily,  _ “I slept with both your exes?!”  _

She buried her face in Spock’s chest again, and Spock glared at Pavel, who held his hands up defensively. “What?!”

“Not.  _ Helping!” _ Spock hissed.

Pavel rolled his eyes and ran a hand down Nyota’s arm. “Oh Nyota, it’s fine! It’s really really fine! I’m pretty sure I got together with him after you did!” 

“And besides, it’s not like they’re here-“ 

Nyota visibly tensed, and Spock went very pale.

Nyota stepped back and looked at them both. “They’re here. All three of them. They’re on the island.”

“Jim is _here_ ,” Spock breathed, looking like he might faint.

“Jim is here  _ and  _ Montgomery is here,  _ and Hikaru?” _

“Yeah,” Nyota said bitterly, “above the old goat house.” 

Pavel’s eyes glittered. “ _ The old goat house _ ...”

“Pavel, I don’t think—“ Spock began, but it was already too late. The short Russian was taking off like a shot. Nyota and Spock had no choice but to run off after him.

* * *

Penda, Beverly, and Deanna were heading down to the beach when the spot the trio racing for the goat house. Penda gasped. “Oh shit!”

“What?” said Bev.

“I think my mom knows they’re here,” Penda groaned, taking off after them.

“Oh, this is gonna be good,” snickered Beverly, following suit. Deanna rolled her eyes and was about run after them, when she heard a wolf whistle. She turned her head to see a redheaded girl behind the bar ogling.

“Nice swimsuit,” Gaila said. She winked.

Deanna’s cheeks burned, and she hurried away.

* * *

Pavel, Nyota and Spock hot on his heels, scrambled up the ladder and cracked the trapdoor open...only to find the attic empty.

“Nobody’s here,” he said.

“They’re not?” Nyota poked her head in, and so did Spock. “No way. I told them to leave, but we all know well Hikaru and Jim take orders. There’s no way they’re really gone.”

Spock swallowed and dropped back down, Nyota following. Pavel shrugged before hopping down after them.

“Oh, why are they  _ here?! _ ” Nyota moaned, stomping out of the goat house, feeling like she was about to cry again. “They’re going to ruin the wedding.”

“We won’t let them,” Spock vowed, scowling.

“You two are being so dramatic,” Pavel said. “I doubt they all came here just to sabotage Pen’s big day.”

* * *

Penda, Bev, and De all poked their heads out from the side of the goat house once the other three had gone. “I can’t believe they left!” Penda said. “They promised they’d come to the wedding!”

“Sorry, Pen,” said Deanna, squeezing her shoulder.

Penda slumped. Then she gasped. “The boat!” She took off running again, this time for the bay.

“PENDA!” her friends yelled after her. They groaned in unison and reluctantly followed.

* * *

Once they got to Nyota’s bedroom, Ny flopped down on her bed facedown. “I’m being punished,” she stated. “This is for not telling Penda who her father is, for never letting her see him. Maybe I should have...but we did fine without any of them!”

“Dear god, you sound like your father,” Pavel snorted.

Nyota picked up her head to glare at him. “I do  _ not,”  _ she said.

“You’re right,” Spock said, “You sound like  _ my  _ father. Spock! What would your mother say if she found out you were singing instead of studying! We sent you to Paris to LEARN, not make a fool of yourself with that Kirk boy!”

“I do not!” Nyota said again.

“Nyota,” Pavel said in a poor imitation of her father’s deep accent, “Greece is a land of sin. You will end up in hell or being intruded on by strange men.”

“My father doesn’t sound like that!” Nyota said, sitting up to glare at them, “and I do  _ not sound like him!” _

_ “Yes you do!”  _ Pavel and Spock insisted. “Come on darling, what happened to  _ our  _ Nyota!” Pavel said, draping a feather boa around her neck. “Queen of the night with the body to prove it!”

Nyota flopped back, groaning. “I grew up!”

“Well grow back down again, lady!” Pavel said.

“I  _ can’t _ .”

“ _ You can dance! _ ” Spock and Pavel burst into song, pointing at Nyota. “ _ You can try! Having the time of your life! Ooh-ooh-ooh, see that girl...watch that scene. Diggin’ the dancing queen! _ ”

Nyota groaned, hiding her face in the pillows again.

Spock and Pavel ducked down onto the floor, disappearing from view. “ _ Friday night and the lights are low _ ,” they sang.

Nyota raised her head, then looked around for her friends in confusion.

The boys’ heads popped up. “ _ Lookin’ out for a place to...goooooo. _ ” They crawled up onto the bed with her. “ _ Where they play the right music. Getting in the swing. _ ”

Pavel slicked his hair back and lowered his voice, imitating Elvis. “ _ You’ve come to look for a king _ ,” he drawled, wiggling his hips.

Nyota giggled in spite of herself. 

_ “Anybody could be that guy!”  _ Spock sang, grinning and playfully grabbing his own crotch. Nyota let out a strangled sound of shock that was  _ definitely  _ a laugh. 

_ “The night is young and the music’s  _ **_high!”_ ** Pavel sang, stealing one of Nyota’s tampons and pretending to smoke it like a joint.

(At this point, Nyota was dying laughing.)

“ _ With a bit of rock music, everything is fine _ ,” Spock and Pavel sang together. “ _ You’re in the mood for dance...and when you get the chance... _ ”

Nyota couldn’t be sad anymore. She got up and began jumping on the bed to the sound of her friends’ voices, just like she were a kid again. “ _ You are the dancing queen _ ,” all three sang. “ _ Young and sweet, only seventeen! Dancing queen, feel the best from the tambourine, oh yeah! You can dance! You can try having the time of your life! Ooh-ooh-ooh, see that girl! Watch that scene! Diggin’ the dancing queen! _ ”

Nyota leapt off of the bed and ran out the door, her feather boa gripped in her hand. Spock and Pavel faithfully followed.

Down in the courtyard, Nyota draped her boa around an old man’s neck, playing tickling his nose. “ _ You’re a teaser, you turn ‘em on... _ ”

The old man blushed bright red, breaking into a grin.

“ _ Leave ‘em burning and then you’re...gone...” _ Nyota strutted away, Pavel and Spock flanking her. “ _ Lookin’ out for another, anyone will do, you’re in the mood for dance...and when you get the chance...” _

_ “You are the dancing queen! _ ” joined in the other women of the island, joining the parade as Nyota skipped joyfully down the hill toward the harbor. “ _ Young and sweet, only seventeen! Dancing queen! Feel the beat from the tambourine, oh yeah! You can dance! You can try having the time of your life! Ooh-ooh-ooh, see that girl!...Watch that scene!...Diggin’ the dancing queen!” _

Nyota playfully pushed Pavel and Spock off the dock into the bright turquoise water, then jumped in herself, making a mighty splash. She emerged, laughing. Spock and Pavel gathered around her, trapping her in their arms as others jumped in as well.

It was enough to make her forget her troubles...just for the moment.


	6. Our Last Summer

Penda arrived at the docks, only to find the boat already leaving. “No!” she cried, panting. Bev and De ran up behind her, looking upset. Their friend’s one chance was sailing away!

Penda, of course, wasn’t so easily dissuaded. She grit her teeth and pulled off her shirt, dropped her shorts, revealing a bathing suit underneath, and dove into the sea to swim after the boat. 

Beverly stared at the pile of clothes for a long moment, and then turned to De and asked, “Was she wearing that bathing suit the entire time?”

Deanna sighed. “It’s very Greek, isn’t it?”

* * *

Penda was very thankful to find that the boat had a ladder attached to the side of it. She pulled herself out of the water with two hands, then climbed up the ladder with one as she wiped her face with the other. Once her vision cleared, she saw all three of her possible dads looking down at her. “Weren’t there four of you?” Penda said. “Where’s Bones?”

”Oh he’s down below sleeping off a hangover,” Jim chuckled.

“We’re gonna take a trip around the island, wanna come?” Hikaru asked, and Penda gratefully accepted Scotty’s hand to climb onto the boat, and the towel she was handed afterwards. 

“You all  _ promised _ you’d come to my wedding!” She accused, wrapping the towel around her legs. “You said-“

“We did say.” Scotty paled. “But then we saw your mother again. She wasn’t…exactly pleased.”

“That’s just because she doesn’t realize you’re her surprise!” Penda tried to explain, but then faltered. Jim was sitting on a bench behind Scotty, and in his arms…

“That’s my mother’s guitar,” Penda said, brow furrowing. “You took it?”

Jim looked up from his tuning, a sheepish, sad sort of expression on his face. 

“Technically, it was my guitar first,” he said softly, running his fingers over the neck of it. “Then I gave it to…to  _ Spock  _ and-“

“Spock?” Penda interrupted, eyes widening. Jim glanced up at her, and she swallowed, before asking “Spock, as in Spock Grayson? Dopey bowl cut, smarter than Einstein, will single-handedly bring back the trend of guys wearing makeup because he does it so well?” She swallowed again. “My  _ uncle  _ spock?” 

“Uncle Spock,” Jim echoed, his skin a strange shade. Then he started to laugh, almost hysterically. “Uncle Spock! Of course, of course, Spock went off and joined her band, right? Did the choreography?”

Penda gritted her teeth, angry on her uncle’s behalf—and angry at herself, because now she’d inadvertently hurt them both. “What’s funny?” She asked, feeling defensive.

Jim shook his head, smiling. “I’m not laughing at him—or the group, or you, promise. It’s just...man, it took me months to get him to dance with me, but then we broke up and he joined a band! Your mother really brings that out in people, y’know?”

Penda sighed, nodding. “I’ve heard that… I guess I know why Mom called you ‘something stupid’…” 

She muttered the last part, and Jim frowned. “What?”

“Nothing,” Penda said quickly, looking back at the elaborately decorated guitar in Jim’s lap. “So you gave that to Spock?”

Jim nodded solemnly. “I guess he left it with your mother. I was gonna teach him to play until…” 

He hesitated, and Penda leaned forward. “Until?”

“What can I say? We broke up. I was an idiot…” Jim sighed. “My heart still hasn’t recovered.”

Yeah, neither had Spock’s, from what little her mother had mentioned about his love life. 

“So you were a musician?” She asked, and Jim smiled, nodding. “Before I put my literary talents towards actual stories, I loved writing song lyrics...“ He strummed a note or two. “Used to have a solo act, the whole kit and kaboodle. Wandered around Europe playing music instead of getting a degree.”

“That’s where you met my mom,” Penda said, smiling warmly. Jim nodded. “Well, I met your uncle first. He was studying business at abroad in Paris, we met, we spent months together, and towards the end of it...“ He fiddled with the tuners, humming lowly between his words. “We stumbled upon this beauty at a pawnshop. Paid 30 euros and my second-favorite Beastie Boys shirt for it.” 

He played a perfectly tuned chord, and grinned. “She’s still got it.”

Penda giggled slightly, and Jim grinned at her warmly—she saw traces of herself in that grin. Could  _ this  _ be her father? Jim had been her unlikely choice—blonde haired, blue eyed, nothing like her—but smiling like that, she could see it. 

“I wonder if it’s still here...I wouldn’t put it past Spock to sand it off…” Jim said, running his fingers over the side of the guitar. He grinned as his fingers brushed over whatever he was looking for. He turned the guitar in his lap so the side faced out, and pointed to some messily carved initials. “ _ SNG _ —Spock Nogazaki-Grayson—and  _ JTK _ —Jim Troublemaker Kirk.”

“Troublemaker?” Hikaru and Scotty echoed, finding the prospect ludicrous.

Jim glared at them. “Fine, it’s Tiberius.” He laid the guitar down and started strumming again. “But Troublemaker sounds cooler. Nyota found it hilarious too…”

His gaze grew wistful, nostalgic. He ducked his head and started to play a gentle ballad, singing along softly.  _ “I can still recall… our last summer. I can see it all.”  _ He smiled at the memories.  _ “Walks along the Seine, dancing in the rain. Our last summer, memories that remain…” _

Hikaru moved to steer the boat, while Jim kept singing.  _ “We made our way along the river, and we passed out in the grass, by the Eiffel Tower…” _

Montgomery rolled his eyes, taking her hand. “ _ I was so happy we had met _ ,” he said. He opened a moleskine to a charcoal sketch of Nyota. Penda smiled—it looked just like her. “ _ It was the age of no regret.” _

Penda thought about her own sketchbooks at home. Did her artistic talent come from Scotty? Was he her father?

“ _ Ah yes _ ,” Hikaru added from the helm. “ _ Those crazy years. That was the age of the flower power _ .”

Penda giggled as he shot her a peace sign. It had to have been the late 90s, but then, Hikaru seemed perpetually stuck in the hippie days. He waved her over, pulling out a picture of him and her mother, getting their rose tattoos. Then another of him and…

“Uncle Pavel?” Pen said in surprise.

Hikaru grinned. “Your mother was my last girl, Pavel was my first guy. He’s been my pen pal for years, came to my wedding!” 

“You’re married?”

Hikaru nodded, beaming. “Love of my life! We have a little three year old girl...“ He gushed on about her. Penda saw the sparkle in his eyes—she got a similar one when she got excited. 

Could  _ he  _ be the one?

_ “But underneath, we had a fear of flying,” _ Jim sang, his guitar taking on a foreboding key.  _ “Of growing old...a fear of slowly dying _ .”

_ “We took a chance,” _ Scotty said. He pulled a picture from his pocket and showed it to Penda. It was of a much younger Nyota and Scotty together. Nyota was sitting on a wall, and Scotty was stretched out with his head in her lap. He looked more relaxed than ever.  _ “Like we were dancing our last dance...” _

_ “I can still recall,” _ chorused the three men.  _ “Our last summer. I still see it all...in the tourist jam, round the Notre Dame. Our last summer, walking hand in hand. Paris restaurants...our last summer. Morning croissants...living for the day, worries far away. Our last summer we could laugh and play _ .”

“ _ And now you’re writing books,” _ Penda sang, looking at Jim. She elbowed him. “ _ Still got the looks _ .”

Jim laughed sheepishly.

“ _ A man that cooks? _ ”

Jim’s eyes widened and he shook his head. He burned everything, even water.

“ _ And your name is Jim... _ ”

Jim smiled.  _ “How dull it seems,” _ he sang, pulling out another photo. This one was  _ not  _ of her mother, but she immediately recognized the other man, even with the big smile she’d never seen plastered across Spock’s face and the lovestruck gaze as he looked at Jim.

Pen stared at the photo, then at Jim questioningly.  _ Are you the hero of my dreams? _ she wondered.

“ **_PENDAAAAAA!_ ** _ ” _ yelled a voice from the shore. Penda’s head snapped up, and she saw Tasha waving her arms in the distance.

“Uh oh.” She hopped up from her seat. “I gotta go. But…  _ promise _ me you'll still come tomorrow. Please?”

“Promise, Love.” Montgomery said, and Penda nodded before diving off the boat. 

As she swam to shore, all three men looked towards the beach for a glimpse of the much anticipated fiancé. 

But it was only Jim who noticed the dark haired figure following Tasha onto the beach.

_ Is that… no, it can’t be. No…Spock? _


	7. Lay All Your Love on Me at Waterloo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY GUYS ITS A-ME, ALI!!!!! 
> 
> you guys know how much I like to talk, so i wanted to pop into the notes here and say hi, and thank you for enjoying this so much!!!! me and cate have had literally SOOOO much fun writing it. This story's a blast.
> 
> For anyone who's been waiting desperately for spirk... this one's for you ;) dedicated to amanda seyfried, because she seems nice and great and pretty

Penda swam up to shore, pulling herself out of the water, panting.

“There you are!” Tasha called, running over to help her to her feet. Penda smiled—after hearing romantic stories all afternoon, she suddenly felt a deep swell of love for her own wife-to-be.

“Where have you been? Guests have been arriving and everyone’s asking about you-“

“Sorry, Sorry!” Penda laughed, leaning forward and standing on her toes to bump foreheads with her. “I was just...around the island. Hey, have I told you I love you lately? I do.”

Tasha rolled her eyes, but smiled gently “I love you too Penda-bear, but you’re still in trouble for leaving me in social situations with no backup.”

Penda gasped in mock horror, taking Tasha’s hands. “How dare I?! Oh my poor baby, forced to smile at men instead of punching them as she crushes the patriarchy-“

“Shut up,” Tasha laughed, kissing her nose. Penda giggled.

She saw, in the corner of her eye, a figure come onto the beach. “Uncle Spock,” Penda whispered, her eyes darting over to the boat. _Oh shit, Jim!_ “Uhh...come on, babe, let’s go...this way.” Penda tugged at her fiancé and pulled her down the beach, far away from the dark-haired man, who was now staring at the boat with a steely gaze. 

* * *

Jim felt a shudder crawl up his spine. Even at this distance he could feel Spock’s bewitching eyes piercing into him. “Uh, you know, fellas, I’m suddenly in the mood for a swim myself. I’ll catch up with you later.” Jim shed his shirt and jumped into the crystalline water.

Scotty and Hikaru looked at each other questioningly, then they spotted Spock standing on the beach. “Ohh,” they said in tandem, smiling knowingly.

* * *

Spock watched his ex-lover swim toward the shore. He was tempted to run back into the trees, but the fact was, he couldn’t avoid Jim forever.

The man rose from the water, wet hair like gold and skin glowing bronze in the sunlight. Jim’s eyes seemed to glitter as they met his, and Spock suppressed a shiver. Damn the man for still being unbearably good looking twenty years later.

Jim sloshed his way onto the shore. With drops of water still rolling down his chest and dripping from his hair, he grinned at Spock and said, “Hello, gorgeous.”

“Don’t start,” Spock said with a sour frown.

“Hey, you’re the one who came to see _me_.”

“I did no such thing,” Spock said, pursing his lips and pointedly looking away from Jim. “I was looking for Penda. How do _you_ know her again?”

His tone was accusatory, and Jim huffed in response. “She invited _me.”_

 _So he doesn’t know about the possible relationship,_ Spock thought. _Interesting._ “You came to some stranger’s wedding?” he asked.

Jim flushed. “I know Nyota. Actually… my first thought when I got a letter from Greece was that Nyota was telling me something about _you-“_

Spock scoffed angrily and turned on his heel, storming away. Jim’s eyes widened and he chased after him. “Wait! Spock-“

“What do you want, Jim?” Spock asked, suddenly very tired. His head was starting to hurt.

“I...“ Jim faltered as he realized he didn’t actually have a question in mind. He shook himself and asked, “What have you been up to? I mean it’s been a long time and-“

“I got a divorce,” Spock grumbled, instinctively bringing up his most recent issue.

“You’re _single?!”_ Jim asked excitedly, and only when Spock’s head whipped around to glare at him excitedly did he realize how that sounded. Spock started walking away again, and Jim called, “I didn’t mean it like that!”

“Go away,” Spock said, frustrated that Jim was following him up the beach.

“C’mon, don’t you wanna know what I’ve been up to? I write books now!”

“I’ve heard, haven’t read them.” Spock replied curtly.

Jim grinned. “You followed my career, that’s cute.”

Spock finally turned to cross his arms at him “I did no such thing.”

“I followed yours!” Jim said. “Although I admit I was surprised to see you actually went back to your dad, since he’s a dick and all that.”

“Admitting to stalking; insulting my career, my love life, _and_ my father—wow, you’re horrible at this,” Spock snapped, walking away again. Jim desperately reached out and grabbed his wrist. “Let go of me!” Spock cried, trying to pull his wrist free.

“C’mon, Spock, just talk to me, _please!”_

“No! Let me go, Jim-“

“Look, I just wanna tell you I’ve missed you and-“

“Fine, fine, now let-“

“Haven’t you-"

“Jim-“

“Stop-!”

 _“Fine!”_ Spock shouted, clenching his fists “Fine! I’ve missed you! I missed you so much I ruined three marriages and I dream about you at night and my life is a whole lot bleaker since you broke my heart, is that what you want to hear?!”

Jim faltered, falling silent. He let Spock go, but Spock didn’t walk away this time.

“I tried to find you,” Jim whispered, “tell you I’m sorry.”

“You left me alone, in fucking _Vienna,”_ Spock replied sourly. “You couldn’t even take me back to France, you left me in Austria.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Jim said sincerely. Abandoning Spock had truly never been his intention, but the night they broke up he’d been so hurt he hadn’t even considered that they weren’t in the right country.

Spock sighed, looking at the ground. “Don’t be. You had an obligation to your son.”

“That’s not what you said then,” Jim said.  The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them. Spock finally looked at him—those eyes, big and brown and emotional, were full of hurt. Jim swallowed back his guilt.

“I was young,” Spock said quietly, “and I was free from my father. I was irrational—and I had centered my world around you. I was in love with you, perhaps unhealthily, and I was under the impression you were in love with me too.”

“I was,” Jim said softly, biting back an _I am._

“And yet you left me the moment something better came up,” Spock accused. “You told me, you told me you intended to stay with Carol and your son indefinitely.” The anger crept back into his voice. “And then you had the audacity to ask me to come with you to London to be your _sidepiece-“_

“You could never be my side _anything.”_ Jim said seriously. Taking his hands, Jim said, “Listen to me; I was stupid. I never should have made it seem like I could pick Carol over you. She didn’t even want me to be David’s _father,_ Spock. She wanted me to give her free cash and expect a few pictures in return.” Jim’s face went sullen, his eyes sad. “As soon as I realized that I tried to call, but you hung up on me.”

“Well...I’m sorry about you not getting to be with your son. But that doesn’t mean I forgive you for how you treated me, or that I want you back.”

“I know, I know, _querido_ ,” Jim said, and Spock closed his eyes at the use of the Spanish endearment. Jim knew that Spock was half-Cuban on his mother’s side and had always called him that in the old days, knowing it made him melt. It wasn’t fair. “But if I could have one more chance, I wouldn’t fuck it up like I did last time,” Jim continued earnestly. “You’re everything to me. From the moment I first saw you, you turned my world upside down.” Jim opened his mouth and began to sing. “ _I wasn’t jealous before we met. Now everyone that I see is a potential threat. And I’m possessive, it isn’t nice. I used to say that ganja was my only vice!”_

He took Spock’s hand and tugged him back towards the beach. _“But now it isn’t true… now everything is new. And all I’ve learned, has overturned. I_ **_beg_ ** _of you!”_

Spock suddenly threw his hands down and out of Jim’s grasp. Jabbing a finger towards his chest and shoving him backwards, Spock sang, _“Don’t go wasting your emotions! Lay all your love on me!”_

Spock turned around, angrily running his hands through his hair. _“It was like shooting a sitting duck,”_ he sang bitterly, remembering the beginning of their relationship. _“A little small talk, a smile and baby, I was stuck…”_

He turned to face Jim again. _“I still don’t know what you’ve done to me, a grown-up man should never fall so easily.”_ Jim grinned a little.

 _“I feel a kind of fear…”_ Spock sang, looking away from him, _“when I don’t have you near… and all my pride is set aside. I beg you, dear!”_

Spock was on the verge of tears—he needed Jim to stop taunting him with apologies and what-if’s.

Jim, on the other hand, meant every word. It broke his heart that he had cut Spock so deeply. He darted forward, grabbing his arms and spinning him around so he was halfway to hugging him.

 _“Don’t go wasting your emotions!”_ Jim sang. _“Lay all your love on me! Don’t go sharing your devotion! Lay all your love on me!”_

Spock pulled free again, angry. Jim had wasted it! Jim had left! He had to keep reminding himself of that fact.

 _“I’ve had a few little love affairs,”_ Spock sang, thinking of all his marriages. T’Pring, Leila, Stonn- how he ruined them all, how he subconsciously compared each one to Jim. _“They didn’t last long and they’ve been pretty scarce.”_

 _“I used to think that was sensible,”_ Jim replied, remembering his own attempts to move on, _“it makes the truth even more incomprehensible.”_

They looked at each other, gazes locking. _“‘Cause everything is new…”_ they sang together. _“And everything is you… and all I’ve learned, has overturned, what can I do?!”_

Spock turned, starting to walk away again. Jim watched him go, not following this time.

 _“Don’t go wasting your emotions, lay all your love on me!”_ They sang as they parted. _“Don’t go sharing your devotions,_ **_lay all your love on me!”_ **

Jim watched Spock leave, feeling desperate. He’d missed him so much, he felt like half of him had been missing, had maybe been missing for years and he had never realized. And it was _Spock._

He needed to find a way to apologize, not even for the hope of a new relationship—he needed to really, truly get Spock to forgive him, or they’d both go mad.

For his part, Spock found the nearest tree to hide behind before he let himself start to cry. Stupid Jim, always playing with his heart. He pressed a hand to his mouth and swiped furiously at his tears.

He did a few deep breathing exercises, got a grip, and quickly went back to the hotel. He had a bachelorette party to get ready for. 

* * *

“I still wish you’d tell me where you’ve been,” Tasha said as they were nearing the docks. “I don’t know why, but I have this sneaking suspicion you’re keeping something from me.”

“What?” Penda laughed nervously. “What would I have to hide from you?”

“I don’t know,” said Tasha. “ _Is_ there something?”

Penda batted her eyelashes at her lover. “Baby, I promise, everything is fine. Tomorrow, we’re going to get married, and everything will be...” Penda imagined briefly being walked down the aisle, by Scotty, then by Jim, then Hikaru. She still had no clue who it was. Penda smiled weakly. “Perfect,” she finished.

Tasha shook her head, smiling. “You know just how to push my buttons. It’s like I’m wrapped around your little finger.”

“But that’s why you love me, isn’t it,” Penda grinned.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Tasha sighed. “I just can’t resist you... _my, my! At Waterloo, Napoleon did surrender. Oh yeah! And I have met my destiny in quite a similar way. The history book on the shelf...is always repeating itself...Waterloo! I was defeated, you won the war. Waterloo! Promise to love you forever more. Waterloo! Couldn’t escape if I wanted to. Waterloo! Knowin’ my fate is to be with you. Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Waterloo! Finally facin’ my Waterloo._ ”

 _“My, my!”_ Penda replied. _“I tried to hold you back but you were stronger. Oh yeah! And now it seems my only chance is giving up the fight. And how could I ever refuse? I feel like I win when I lose! Waterloo! I was defeated, you won the war. Waterloo! Promise to love you forever more. Waterloo! Couldn’t escape if I wanted to. Waterloo! Knowin’ my fate is to be with you. Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Waterloo! Finally facin’ my Waterloo._ ”

Suddenly they heard howls from far off. The two women turned their heads. In the distance they saw a pack of men and a few women in masks running toward them. “What’s that?” Penda said.

“My ‘stag’ party,” said Tasha. “It’s my last night of freedom, you know.”

Penda put her hands on her hips. “Freedom?” she repeated.

Tasha smiled and kissed her. “For some people. I prefer to see it as the first night of the rest of my life.”

Penda smiled. “That’s better.”

As the whooping stag party drew closer, Penda and Tasha hugged, singing, _“So how could I ever refuse? I feel like I win when I lose!...Waterloo! Couldn't escape if I wanted to. Waterloo! Knowing my fate is to be with you. Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Waterloo! Finally facing my Waterloo. Waterloo! Knowing my fate is to be with you. Whoa-oh-oh-oh, Waterloo! Finally facing my Waterloo.”_

The stag party cheered and picked Tasha up, carrying her off. Penda giggled as she headed off in the other direction. Now it was time for her own party.


	8. Super Trouper

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Cate here! Sorry this chapter took a while, but it's kind of my fault. I got Ali hooked on Wynonna Earp and we've been texting about it nonstop. But we finally finished this chapter, and we really hope you enjoy it, because we sure enjoyed writing it ;) <3

Penda laughed as she threw back another shot. Her girlfriends cheered for her. This was shaping up to be an excellent bachelorette party. Hopefully all the alcohol would distract her from her daddies issues. Or maybe she could drink herself into a state of nirvana that would enlighten her to the answer. ****  
** **

No, bad Penda. It was her _bachelorette party._ Tonight was about having fun, not worrying. ****  
** **

" _Ladieeeeeeees...and_ ** _no_** _gentlemen..."_ called a voice from inside Spock and Pavel's room. " _Presenting for one night, and one night only!-"_ ** **  
****

" _Because that's all we have breath for!"_ Spock interjected into Pavel's intro. Penda and the other girls giggled. ** **  
****

" _Speak for yourself, you old queen,"_ Pavel replied, laughing. _"_ _Europe's most fabulous innkeeper and her back up boys. Give it up for Nyota, and the Nytromes!"_ ** **  
****

Everyone whooped and hollered as the French doors opened and the trio stepped up onto the makeshift stage. They were all wearing dazzling suits, thick eyeshadow, and winged eyeliner. ****  
** **

The girls whooped and whistled. "I thought this was girls only!" called Beverly teasingly. ****  
** **

"Tonight we are honorary girls," Spock replied with a smug little smile.

"Gender is just a social construct!" Pavel added. ****  
** **

"Okay, okay," laughed Nyota. "Now, my lovely ladies, are you ready...to _rock?"_ ** **  
****

Penda and her friends screamed encouragingly. ****  
** **

The Nytromes posed dramatically as they lifted their microphones to their mouth and began to sing. " _Super trouper lights are gonna find me, but I won't feel blue..."_ ****  
** **

The girls giggled. Nyota and the guys didn't exactly sound polished. They were dragging the tempo, and Pavel's squeaky tenor was somewhat flat. ****  
** **

" _Like I always do_ ," the Nytromes continued. Nyota made eye contact with Pen and smiled at her. "' _Cause somewhere in the crowd, there's you..."_ ** **  
****

The group paused, as if they were done, but that couldn't be the end of the song. Nyota looked offstage and signaled frantically to the girl standing by the CD player. The girl jumped and hit the play button. ****  
** **

Music immediately began to play from the boombox, and Penda and her friends cheered. Nyota began to sing the first verse as Spock and Pavel swayed in time with the music. " _I was sick and tired of everything, when I called you last night from Glasgow. All I do is eat and sleep and sing, wishing every show was the last show_ ." ** **  
** **

" _Wishing every show was the last show_ ," echoed Pavel and Spock, much more in harmony now. ** **  
****

" _So imagine I was glad to hear you're coming_ ," they all sang together. " _Suddenly I feel alright...and it's gonna be different when I'm on the stage tonight! Tonight, the super trouper lights are gonna find me shining like the sun. Smiling, having fun...feelin' like a number one!"_

* * *

Scotty, Jim, and Hikaru had just returned from their trip around the island, and they were following the familiar sound of Nyota singing. Scotty smiled wistfully. "Our old song," he said.

"Ny certainly hasn't lost her touch," Sulu said.

They broke through the trees and found the party area, lit up with red and blue and orange and purple and pink lights. "Wow," all three of them said, staring at the singing trio on the stage.

"Nyota is even more beautiful than I remember--how is that possible?" Scotty said.

"Spock looks smokin' hot," sighed Jim.

"Wait, is that Pavel Chekov?" Sulu gasped.

* * *

About that time, Nyota had caught sight of her three former dalliances (and potential baby daddies). She frowned hard at them (especially Monty), then turned her head away. " _So I'll be there_ ," she sang. " _When you arrive. The sight of you will prove to me that I'm still alive, and when you take me in your arms and hold me tight...I know it's gonna mean so much tonight!"_

" _Tonight the super trouper lights are gonna find me shining like the sun!"_ she, Spock, and Pavel chorused. " _Smiling, having fun...feelin' like a number one!"_

At this point, Spock and Pavel had also spotted the boys. Spock pointedly did not meet Jim's gaze, but Pavel on the other hand gave a warm smile to his ex-boyfriend. Hikaru grinned back, waving.

Penda turned her head to see what her mom and uncles were staring at and then spotted the boys. _Oh dammit, I didn't want to have to worry about them tonight!_ she thought, biting her lip.

Scotty, Jim, and Hikaru seemed to be the only ones unfazed. They were jauntily bopping along the music, without a care in the world (at least on the outside--internally, Scotty and Jim were pining).

" _Tonight the super trouper beams are gonna blind me, but I won't feel blue,"_ the Nytromes continued, determined to finish their number, despite several ex-lovers showing up at once. (They were fortunate that they were all so supportive of each other, otherwise the whole situation could feel rather incestuous.) " _Like I always do...'cause somewhere in the crowd...there's you."_

Nyota held out the last note as Spock and Pavel softly echoed one more time, " _super trouper light are gonna find meeeeee..."_ Then they hit another synchronized pose with the last beat of the song. Penda and her friends screamed and applauded ravenously.

"WOO WOO WOO WOO!" howled Jim from the back edge of the patio.

Spock raised his microphone to his mouth, staring directly at Jim. "Excuse me, but all gentlemen who are _not_ entertainment are not allowed here. This is a _private_ bachelorette party."

"And he uses that word liberally!" Pavel interrupted, making the girls laugh. Spock scowled at him, and Jim frowned.

"That's real cold, _querido_ ," he said in a softened voice. He turned to go.

Spock's shoulders slumped slightly with guilt. Maybe he should cut Jim a break. He sighed and handed his mic off to Pavel, hurrying after him. "Jim, wait..."

Hikaru on the other hand, wasn't intimidated at all. He marched right up to Pavel and helped him down off the stage, then gave the tiny man a hug. "I couldn't believe it was you!" he laughed.

"Oh, I knew it was you right away!" Pavel laughed. "Those tattoos are undeniable, you old hippie." He caught sight of the band on Hikaru's left hand. "Oh, and I see someone managed to get you to hold still long enough to slip a ring on your finger!"

"Ben and I have been together for twelve years," said Hikaru, beaming. "We have a little daughter named Demora. She's the cutest little girl in the world. And that's not favoritism, it's just a fact."

"Oh, I have to see a picture!" Pavel squealed, urging Hikaru to pull out his phone.

Nyota tensed as she felt someone tap her on the shoulder tentatively--Scotty. "Nyota, if I could talk to you..."

"Well, I have nothing to say to you, so...sorry," Nyota said shortly to him, turning to leave. She grabbed Pavel by his elbow, dragging him away from Hikaru. "C'mon, we need to change out of these costumes."

Scotty sadly watched her walk away. Hikaru studied both him and her, thinking to himself that it was sad that some people didn't have as good a relationship with their ex as he and Pavel did. But that was the difference between them, and Scotty and Ny and Jim and Spock--Pavel hadn't been his true love.

* * *

"Jim, _please_ slow down!"

"I don't even know what I'm doing here! Bones was right, it was crazy for me to come to a wedding for two women I don't even know, and it was crazy for me to just assume that we could pick right up where we left off!"

"Jim," panted Spock, winded from clumsily stumbling after Jim through the brush in his Nytrome costume. "I'm sorry."

Finally Jim stopped. He looked over his shoulder. "No, don't be. I broke your heart. You have every right to hate me."

"...yes, I do."

Jim laughed humorlessly. "Well don't try too hard to make me feel better."

"But I don't," Spock continued, his voice barely a murmur. "Hate you. I...couldn't possibly hate you."

Jim stared at him somberly, then crossed over to him and pulled him into his arms. "But I made you sad. That's inexcusable. You deserve to not ever be sad."

Spock rested his head on Jim's shoulder. It just felt so _good_ to be held by him again. They just stood there for a moment, sea breeze gently blowing and ruffling their hair.

"Sure is lucky that 20 years down the line, we'd find each other again, huh?" Jim said.

"I don't know if I'd call it _luck_."

"Yeah," sighed Jim. "Actually it wasn't luck at all. It was..." He paused.

Penda. Penda had invited him to the wedding. Penda, Nyota's daughter.

Penda, Nyota's _20 year old_ daughter.

"Oh my god," Jim whispered.

"What is it?" Spock asked, looking at him.

Jim stared right through him, mouth agape. "I...I gotta go, baby." He ran off, back to the party.

Spock stared after him, mystified.


	9. Voulez-Vous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYSSSSSSSS WE'RE BACK AT IT AGAIN
> 
> Just to let y'all know me and cat are both in college now, so updates might slow down a bit. But we're done with act one into the exciting parts now! yay!!!!!
> 
> Dedicated to Simon Pegg and Cat, both of whom I love dearly.

Scotty sighed, taking a long drink from the bar. He felt truly terrible—how foolish was he to think Nyota wanted to see him? She’d specifically told him to never come back. 

For probably the trillionth time in twenty years, he kicked himself for not breaking it off with poor Tara before running off. 

He’d been in a… _ state  _ to say the least when he got engaged. He’d never been sure about Tara, but all his friends had pushed him, and she claimed to love him. The panic attack he had three months before his wedding should have been his first clue, he should have broken it off then and there. 

But no, he’d led Tara and Nyota on, and then he’d married Tara at her behest, and then… 

The marriage hadn’t been smooth, and while it had lasted a while, they’d only been held together by Tara locking both the metaphorical and literal door. 

Oh she hadn’t been cruel, much, just… off, slightly. Montgomery hadn’t loved her the way she wanted. 

A soft hand on his shoulder, and Penda slid into the seat next to him. 

“You look  _ sad,”  _ she said loudly, trying to be heard over the music. “No sad men at my party!”

“Apologies, my dear!” Scotty replied, “but I think your mother still hates me!”

Penda flushed, looking down. 

Scotty’s eyes darkened imperceptibly. It wasn’t a yes, sure, but Penda wasn’t denying it.

“Penda, Love,” Scotty said, touching her wrist, “what am I doing here?”    
  


* * *

 

 

Spock panted as he reached the courtyard at the top of the stairs. His suit was way too tight for this, and he hadn’t worn anything with a heel in far too long. He enjoyed fancy clothes, really, but showing up to a board meeting in stilettos would get him laughed out of his job. 

He quietly entered the bachelorette party, and froze. Penda was at the bar. Penda was at the bar with  _ Montgomery Scott. _

Oh dear. 

Suddenly wondering if Nyota’s fears about their sudden appearance weren’t  _ completely  _ unfounded, Spock quickly walked over to intervene. 

“Penda, Love,” he heard Montgomery start, “what am I doing here?”

Before Penda could answer, Spock rested a hand on her shoulder. Penda looked up and immediately forced a smile at him. “Hi, Uncle Spock!” 

“Hello,” Spock replied. “Did you enjoy your surprise?” 

“If it keeps you three together, I’ll have a bachelorette party every day forever.” Penda said seriously

Spock chuckled at that. “I think I’d die from exhaustion, my dear. And who’s this?” As if he didn’t know.

“Montgomery Scott,” said the man. “You were excellent up there.”

“Thank you,” Spock replied. Then he looked down at Penda. “Do you know where your mother is?”

“She and Pavel are up in your room!” Penda called. Spock nodded and kissed her forehead. 

“Go enjoy your party, my dear.” Spock told her. “We’ll be down soon.” 

He let her go and headed for the door—or such was his intention, before his heel got stuck in the space between two loose stones and his ankle twisted uncomfortably. Spock felt himself going down, and prepared himself to hit the ground, cursing Nyota for insisting on the go-go boots...

...when he hit someone’s chest, was twisted, and ended up being tango-dipped by…

“If I knew you were coming back here, I would’ve walked with you, made you carry me up the stairs,” Spock said to Jim, who was holding him off the ground.

Jim grinned cheekily. “I think you and I have been in this position before.” 

“We have indeed, now let me up before you drop me like the last time we tried it.”

Jim laughed softly at the memory, and tugged Spock so he was steady on his feet again. Spock placed a hand on Jim’s shoulder, then raised the foot that had gotten caught, rotating the appendage and feeling for twinges of pain. 

“You okay?” Jim asked, genuinely concerned. “Bones is here, he can have a look at you-“

“Doctor McCoy is  _ here? _ ” Spock asked, surprised—and not unpleasantly. Leonard McCoy had been Jim’s companion on his “one man show” tour, and Spock had gotten to know him quite well.

Jim smiled. “Hell yeah, getting the gang back together. You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine.” Spock said, and then glanced at a spot over Jim’s shoulder. His lips curved into a wicked grin, and he looked back at Jim. “We’re done being mad at each other, right?” 

“Uh, yeah, I guess we are.” Jim smiled warmly at him, but the warm smile didn’t make Spock think twice. 

“Well, in that case, I’m very sorry...”

Jim frowned in confusion.

Spock grinned. “You’re a repeat offender,  _ bobo,  _ I can’t save you.” 

And then, he shoved Jim backwards into the arms of the waiting ladies. 

“Wait, no!” Jim shrieked, and Spock grinned and blew him a kiss. “Roosters in the henhouse get pecked, Jim!” 

He limped a little bit as he walked away, listening to the ladies start to mess around with Jim as he did. They wouldn’t hurt him, of course, but he  _ had _ invaded the bachelorette party. He was fair game.

His ankle started to throb again after the second flight of stairs, and when he finally reached his room he’d decided he was going to burn these boots in a fire. 

He opened the door and made a vague gesture with his hands to his friends, and they moved before he flopped face-forward on the bed. 

“Where have you been?” Nyota asked.

Spock groaned. “I  _ think _ that I was being romanced, now please surgically remove my feet and ankles from my body, they hurt.” 

“Poor beanpole Spock,” Pavel teased. “Too tall to reach his feet.”

“Shut it,” Spock grumbled, and Pavel giggled before hopping off the bed to help Nyota pull his boots off. 

“We were just talking about,” Nyota said, then grunted as she tugged on the left boot, “about the uninvited guests.” 

“You’re worrying too much,” Spock said into his pillow. “I’m sure they’re—owww okay I twisted that ankle, careful—harmless.” 

“I’m not so convinced,” Nyota said, tugging again. “You okay?”

“Just get the boot off,” Spock grumbled, “And I’m certain. Jim is, at least.”

“Never thought I’d hear you say that!” Pavel said cheerfully. “And for the record I’m pretty sure Hikaru is too. His baby girl is so cute!”

“Good for him,” Nyota said sourly. “But that just leaves He Who Shall Not Be Named.”

“He’s not Voldemort, Nyota-“ Spock grunted as she tugged on his ankle again, “although I did see him talking to Penda-“

_ “What?!”  _ Nyota shrieked, and the boot came flying off at that exact moment, and Nyota landed on her butt. 

Spock rolled over and hissed, pulling his leg up close to his face to inspect the injury. 

“She was talking to Montgomery, you’re  _ sure?”  _ Nyota asked, standing up and peeling off the top half of her jumpsuit, sliding into a v-neck. 

“Yes, very,” Spock said, not caring at all about his friend’s partial nudity. There came a point in the friendship when he and Pavel had stopped caring.  

“That  _ bastard!  _ Just...showing up here like this, messing with Penda’s head! Why, I’m gonna-“

She turned to leave. Pavel got the other boot off, and Spock sighed. “Nyota, she’s an adult! You can’t protect her from this forever!”

Nyota flipped him the bird over her shoulder as she walked away. 

 

* * *

 

Hikaru recognized something was up as soon as the music cut off and then changed in the middle of  _ Gimme Gimme.  _ But when it did, the girls started shrieking excitedly, and pointing. 

Oh god, people in  _ masks  _ were hanging off the cliffs, descending upon the bachelorette party.

“Who...is that?” he asked Penda.

Penda started laughing. “Oh my god, it’s Tasha’s stag party.”

“Oh.” Hikaru grinned. “Well  _ now _ it’s a party. Are they always like this in Greece?”

“Your bachelor party wasn’t this great?” Penda teased him.

Hikaru grinned. “My bachelor party consisted of me letting my grandmother beat me at mahjong. You’re making me look bad, kiddo."

“Don’t call me kiddo, I’m 20 years old!” Penda laughed. 

_ 20 years _

Hikaru froze, as several things came together at once. Penda had invited him to her wedding, she was 20 years old. He’d been with Nyota 20 years ago. 

“Hey, Pen,” Hikaru asked, throat suddenly very dry. “Where’s your dad in all this mess?”

Penda looked at him, slightly tipsy but completely earnest, and said, “I don’t know.”

Hikaru suddenly felt queasy. 

“Excuse me,” he said, and fled.

 

* * *

 

Penda felt more than a little tipsy, but she was still clear headed enough to be concerned when Hikaru ran off. But before she could do anything about it, warm hands grabbed her wrist and dragged her back into the crowd. She looked up at her captor, and found Tasha lifting her mask to wink at her. 

Penda couldn’t stop the weak knees or the smile that slipped onto her face, even if she tried. Tasha kissed her forehead, tying a handmade seashell necklace around her neck. 

_ “People everywhere!”   _ The crowd around them started to sing. “ _ A sense of expectation, hangin' in the air! Givin' out a spark...”  _

Tasha leaned in close to kiss Penda on the nose, and sing with the rest of the group, “ _ Across the room your eyes are glowin' in the dark.”  _

Penda giggled, and then freed herself from Tasha’s grasp. Tasha gasped in mock offense, and gathered up her stag party members. 

“ _ And here we go again, we know the start, we know the end!”  _ They chanted. _ “Masters of the scene! We've done it all before, and now we're back to get some more! You know what I mean!”  _

_ “Voulez-vous!”  _ The crowd sang, clapping their hands to the beat.  _ “Take it now or leave it! UH-HUH! Now is all we get! UH-HUH! Nothing promised, no regrets!”  _

Penda laughed happily, twirling with her friends- and then she bumped into Jim, who grinned and took her hands, helping her spin. 

Penda smiled at him, and he smiled back.

And then, he said: “Penda, you can tell me the truth now, I get it!”

_ Oh no.  _

“Jim?” she asked, blinking.

Jim beamed at her. “I’m your father!” 

“ _ And here we go again, we know the start, we know the end!”  _ The crowd around them sang again, ignoring the vital moment happening.  _ “Masters of the scene! We've done it all before, and now we're back to get some more! You know what I mean!”  _

“Jim, wait-“

“Who’s walking you down the aisle tomorrow?” Jim asked, shouting to be heard. Penda shrugged helplessly, and Jim grinned. “Oh no, baby, it’s me! I’ll be there for you!” 

_ Oh god. _

Someone grabbed Jim out of the crowd to dance with him.  _ “Voulez-vous!”  _ The song continued,  _ “UH-HUH! Ain’t no big decision! UH-HUH! You know what to do! UH-HUH! La question c’est voulez-vous!”  _ A hand clap. A spin.  _ “Voulez-Vous!” _   
  


* * *

 

 

Jim found himself being tugged into none other than Spock’s embrace. He had changed out of his wild costume and was now wearing fairly normal clothes and more sensible shoes. There was still a trace of his sharply winged eyeliner. “What about your ankle?” Jim called over the music.

Spock shrugged, brown eyes glittering like stars. “It’s not that bad. But you’ll have to catch me if I should fall.”

Jim grinned, pulling him closer. “Always.”

 

* * *

 

“Penda!”

Penda whirled around to find Hikaru standing with her once more. “How long have you known?” he said, staring at her in awe. “How long have you known that I’m your father?”

Penda gulped. “Not long at all!” she replied helplessly.

Hikaru grabbed her hand and kissed it. “I’d love to walk you down the aisle tomorrow, petal, if you want.”

“I...okay...”

Hikaru squeezed her hand and took off into the crowd. Penda felt dizzy.

_ Oh god, what have I done? _

_ “Voulez-Vous!”  _ the crowd cheered again. 

Penda was pulled back into the dance.

 

* * *

 

Nyota was pushing her way through the crowd, looking for her exes so she could properly warn them off. Alcohol, the adrenaline of performing, and her anger at their pure audacity after 20 years had made her brave. 

Well, brave but not heartless, she thought as she found Spock hanging off Jim, smile bigger and eyes brighter than it had been in years. Spock would keep Jim away from Penda. 

Hikaru was dancing, probably drunk off his arse. And Montgomery…

Nyota felt something like panic, or maybe fury, crawl up her throat as he approached Penda. 

_ How dare he? _

 

* * *

 

_ “Penda!  _ Pen!”

Penda looked up to see Montgomery approaching her, staring at her with new eyes. 

“Monty,” she began, eyes wide and pleading.  _ Please god, please don’t say- _

“I know why I’m here now!” Scotty bellowed proudly. “I’m your  _ father!” _

_ Oh god oh god  _ **_oh god_ ** _ - _

“You invited me because you just want your dear ol’ da to walk you down the aisle! It makes perfect sense—well, don’t you worry, m’love! I’ll be there!”

Scotty disappeared back into the crowd, and Penda saw her mother go after him with eyes like fury. 

Everything was spinning, the dancers, the words everyone had said, the very world. 

_ I’m your father, I’ll be there for you, I’ll walk you down, You can tell me the truth now- _

What  _ was _ the truth?

“Penda?” she heard someone ask, but it was too late. Black was spotting in her vision, and it was all too much as her world spun too fast and Penda was gone gone gone.

_ “Penda!  _ Holy shit!”

“Oh my god, is she okay?!”

“Penda bear!”

“Oh no, Penda-”

“Back off! Let her mother tend to her, Jim!”

“All three of you back off!”

“Listen to Nyota, give her some room!”

“You back off!”

“I’m a med student!”   
“I’m a  _ doctor!  _ Now let me see her-”


	10. Does Your Mother Know?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cate here, dedicated this awesome and sexy chapter to Ali, my awesome and sexy girlfriend B)

Penda woke up in what she recognized as Dr. Christine Chapel's office. She was the only doctor on the island; she’d been her physician since she was born. Nyota and Christine were pretty good friends, so she’d been at the party the night before.

When she tried to sit up however, it was not Dr. Chapel who immediately appeared in her line of view and said, “Take it easy now, don’t sit up too fast.” 

She vaguely recognized him, but couldn’t remember his name. “Where’s Dr. Chapel?” she asked tiredly. 

“Hungover after celebrating her favorite patient getting married. I need you to tell me your name, the year, and where you are.”

“Penda Uhura, 2018, Kalliope, Greece. Dr. Chapel’s office,” she recited dutifully, rubbing her throat. “I know we were introduced earlier, but it’s been kind of a crazy 24 hours. What’s your name again?”

“I can understand that,” the man huffed with dry laughter. “Doctor Leonard McCoy. You can call me Leonard or Dr. McCoy, just don’t call me Dr. Leonard.” Leonard brought a glass of water from the tap and brought it to her. “Drink that, you’re dehydrated.” 

“Is that why I passed out?” Penda asked, taking it and sipping. 

“A combination of dehydration, exhaustion, stress, general emotions. Common before the wedding day, although most people don’t actually pass out.” Leonard pulled out a clipboard. “How do you feel? Nauseated, dizzy, too warm, too cold?”

“I feel fine,” Penda said between sips of water. “Hungry.”

“Hungry is good,” Doctor McCoy nodded. “When was your last period?”

“I’m gay,” Penda said drily. 

“And I’m ace but I still have a daughter, last period?”

“Is this necessary?” Penda sighed.

“You passed out,” Doctor McCoy said, shaking his head. “I’m doing this for the same reason I told your fiancée to postpone the wedding-“

“You what?!” Penda shrieked. The wedding couldn’t be postponed! Too many people had come, too much was riding on this--and now there were  _ three guys  _ expecting to walk her down the aisle!

“That’s the same face your mother and fiancée made,” Leonard sighed. “Look me in the eye?” He shined a bright light in her eyes, and then sighed. “Well you’re not showing any concussion signs, so I guess I can clear you to walk down the aisle.”

“Oh thank god,” Penda sighed, getting up to leave.

Doctor McCoy apparently didn’t notice, continuing to talk. “But take it easy! No strenuous activity until later, and I know it’s a lot to ask of a bride on her wedding day, but take it easy on the alcohol, and-“

Leonard looked up, and realized he was all alone. 

“... gee, thanks for taking care of me, Dr. McCoy. Yeah, no problem, kid. Christ, fucking Greece, where no one has any freaking manners…” Leonard grumbled, rubbing his temples. “This is what I get for sobering up.” 

* * *

Spock took a deep breath in, tasting salt on his tongue. He focused on the weight of his hands in his lap, the straightness of his spine, the feeling of his ribs expanding. He breathed, he relaxed, he dropped into the proper mindset. He focused on the sound of the waves, the warmth of the sun, on aligning his chakras.  _ Ohm… _

And then the door slammed open and Spock jumped about a foot in the air.

“I have been tossing and turning  _ all night!”  _ Nyota shouted.

Pavel groaned, and Spock glared at her. “Hello Nyota, no you didn’t scare me at all and no, I wasn’t meditating, thanks for asking.” 

“He’s pisssssed,” Pavel groaned.

Nyota sighed and came over to lean down and squeeze his shoulders. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, sugar, but I need to do something about… _ them.” _

“No no, guys, it’s okay, I got a plan!” Pavel said, jumping up so he was kneeling on the bed. “I’m going to take Hikaru out for a nature walk around the island, and Spock is gonna convince Scotty to sit down and talk about science and engineering—really get him pissed off in that special Spockian way of his! And then he’ll use his magical bisexual energies to distract Jim-“

“I’ll do no such thing!” Spock squeaked, eyes snapping open and head whipping around.

Pavel pouted. “Why not? You were all over him last night!”

“I was drunk,” Spock huffed.

“Was not!” Pavel accused. 

“Shut up, no matchmaking, guys!” Spock said, glaring. 

“Why noooooot,” Pavel whined, flopping face forward on the bed, “c’mon, you two are like, OTP!”

“Just because we don’t hate each other anymore doesn’t mean we’ll get back together, Pav,” Spock said, eyes growing sad. “It won’t happen a second time.” 

Pavel went quiet, and Nyota sighed loudly. “Look, why don’t you just take Jim with you on that nature hike? He likes growing things, he was raised on a farm.”

Spock nodded in agreement, and Pavel sighed, pouting. 

* * *

Meanwhile, Penda was having a similar conversation with Deanna and Beverly in their room once she got back to the hotel from the doctor’s office. After assuring her friends she was fine, she filled them in on what had transpired the previous night. She paced nervously. “What the hell am I gonna do?” she moaned. “Yesterday I had no dads, now I have  _ three! _ ”

“And that aisle is very narrow,” Deanna quipped.

“You have to ask yourself, Pen--who’s your daddy?” Beverly added.

“I don’t  _ know!” _ Penda yelped. “I have  _ no _ idea! I thought I would’ve figured all this out by now! I...it’s like I can see parts of myself in all of them.” Penda plopped down on the foot of Bev’s bed in defeat.

Beverly sighed, crawling across the bed to rub Penda’s shoulder consolingly. “Don’t worry. It’s all gonna be okay.”

“Oh God!” gasped Penda, her head shooting up. “What if they talk to each other?! What if the beans get spilled before the wedding? Or worse, what if they talk to  _ Mom?” _

“We won’t let that happen,” said Deanna. “Beverly and I will tail them and keep them out of trouble.”

“Would you?” Penda sighed with relief. “Oh thank God. I don’t know what I’d do without you girls.”

“Oh, honey...neither do we.” De smirked, and Penda snorted, tossing a pillow at her.

Beverly looked at Deanna mischievously. “And maybe we’ll run into your  _ dancing partner _ from last night.”

“Shut up!” Deanna tossed the pillow at her.

“Ooh, what dancing partner?” gasped Penda, leaning forward eagerly.

“No one!”

“She was that red headed bartender,” said Bev. “What was her name? Gayle?”

“Gaila,” blurted Deanna. Then she blushed sharply.

“Oooooh, you and Gaila danced?” Penda giggled.

“It was  _ just _ dancing,” said Deanna, frowning hard. “I’m not looking for anything serious, considering I just broke up with Bill.”

“Translation: our girl is on the rebound,” Bev said with a grin.

“Shut the fuck up, Beverly!” Deanna said, pouncing on her and tackling her to the mattress. They giggled wildly as they wrassled. Penda laughed for what felt like the first time in twelve hours and joined the cuddle puddle.

* * *

Pavel sighed as he dragged himself up the hill. He’d taken Hikaru and Jim out with the pretense of  _ leading  _ the nature walk, but he remembered far too late that he.  _ hated.  _ **_Walking_ ** _.  _

And of course, Hikaru, that asshole, was having the time of his life. Pavel loved his friend, really, but if he got excited over a lilac one more time Pavel was gonna strangle him. 

Jim was between him and Hikaru, able to keep up but clearly distracted.

“So um...” Jim piped up suddenly. “You have a kid, Hikaru?”

“Yep! A baby girl, little Demora; wanna see a picture? She’s adorable!” Hikaru said proudly, and Pavel sighed, trying not to smile. He and Hikaru had already made plans for him to go visit and meet the little princess, see Ben again. It would be great. 

“Cool, cool,” Jim said, fidgeting. “You…you must know about dad stuff then, right?”

“Well, yeah,” Hikaru said, frowning. Pavel frowned too—where was Jim going with this?

Jim nodded once, looking down. “I have a kid,” he muttered, kicking the dirt. “David. His mom, uh, didn’t want me there.”

“I’m sorry,” Hikaru said sincerely. But Pavel felt a small swell of anger. That was what Jim had broken Spock’s heart over. So what if Spock had forgiven him? Jim didn’t know how messed up Spock had been over that!

“Yeah,” Jim cleared his throat. “I just… I just wanna make it right… with at least one kid…” 

And then, Jim picked up his head, and said “I have to go.”

Pavel blinked as Jim turned and disappeared through the trees. His brain caught up two seconds later and he shouted, “Wait! Wait, I...oh crap, Nyota’s gonna kill me!”

“Why is your bestie gonna kill you?” Hikaru asked, and Pavel looked at him, and then at the spot Jim had disappeared. 

“Fuck it,” Pavel said, throwing up his hands. “Spock can deal with him.”

“Do you ship them too?”

“Yes! Thank  _ god  _ I’m not the only one—don’t get me wrong, I wanna punch Jim in the gut for hurting Spock, but they need to get back together.”

“Agreed...holy shit, a zinnia!”

_ “God help me,” _ Pavel sighed in Russian.

* * *

“So, uh,” Scotty shouted over the sound of the paddle boat, “you’ve been married how many times?!”

“Three!” Spock shouted back, concentrating on the effort of steering. “You?!”

“Just the once!” Scotty went quiet again, and then asked, “How’d your parents feel about the marriages?!”

“My mom died a few years after my second!” Spock replied. “My father only agreed to pay for the last one after my sister threatened to hack his bank account!”

“So that’s what a father typically does, pay for the wedding?!” Scotty shouted, and Spock nodded. Scotty was silent, and then he nodded resolutely. 

And then, he jumped into the ocean. 

“Hey! Wait!” Spock called, and then yelled as the boat carrened with the loss of his paddle partner. “Wait—oh  _ shit-!” _

The boat crashed into the shore, paddles kicking up sand. Spock sighed and climbed out, rubbing his temples. Great. 

He went over to the bar, pulling off his life jacket and sliding into the seat. Gaila smiled at him. “I’ll be with you in a sec, baby.” 

Spock rested his head on the bar, closing his eyes.

“You okay?” Someone asked next to his ear, and Spock almost fell off his bar stool when he jumped. 

“Jesus, Jim!”

“Not Jesus,” Jim said, smiling a bit. “Sorry.” 

Spock’s cheeks burned with embarrassment. Of course he was here right now. “Aren’t you supposed to be on a hike with Pavel?”

“I was looking for Penda, actually,” Jim said sheepishly. “But I saw you crash and I had to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m fine, so why don’t you go back to your-“

“What can I get you two?” Gaila asked. 

Spock looked up at her, and Jim said, “A whiskey on the rocks for me and for him… wine?”

“Tequila. Straight.  _ Please.”  _ Spock said, half groaning.

Jim frowned. “Since when do you drink tequila?”

“Since my second wife went insane and tried to drug my margarita one night,” Spock replied seriously. Jim gasped at him, and Spock shrugged “Leila was… troubled. I had to get a restraining order after the divorce. She wanted me to be… happy. Like, not normal happy. Weird happy.”

“Were the other two sane at least?” Jim asked meekly as Gaila set their drinks down. 

“T’Pring was the best, since I knew her when I was a kid. She wanted to advance her career and it became too hard for her to do that while married to me, so she left. Then Leila happened, and then Stonn…” Spock sighed. “Stonn was nice until I realized he was a biphobic piece of shit who wanted me not to advance in my career because it meant I’d earn more than him.”

“Fuck him,” Jim said immediately, and Spock grinned wryly, taking a sip of his drink.

“It was the other way around, actually. He was frickin’  _ ginormous.  _ I convinced him to dress up like Bartholomew the Tiny for a Halloween party one time—he won the costume contest.”

“Bartholomew the...that’s one of my characters!” Jim said, staring at him. “You said you’d never read my books!”

Spock finished his drink in one throw back. “I’ve read them all. Twice. When’s the next one coming out? I want the princesses to have their kid.” 

“You seriously read the whole series?” Jim asked softly. “Of the  _ Nightelf  _ books? Not just the murder mysteries and  _ Piece of the Action,  _ the  _ Nightelf  _ series?”

“I said all of them. Three murder mysteries, five stories about gay fairy tales and your strange mobster story included. Is it true  _ Piece  _ is getting made into a movie?”

“Maybe,” Jim said, laughing. Then he looked at Spock, eyes soft. “Valek is based off you, y’know?”

“The bisexual elf?” Spock asked, raising a brow, “he’s based off me?”

“Yep,” Jim said, taking his hand. “I couldn’t help but base him off of the best person I know.” 

Spock stared at him, then gave a tiny shake of his head. “No,  _ no,  _ Jim. We-we can’t do this.” 

He pulled his hand away, shaking his head more and sliding off the bar stool. He pulled out his wallet and tossed down a couple bills. Jim blinked. “Wait, Spock-“

“I can’t do this with you,” Spock shook his head. “Not again. I can’t. I won’t.”

“Spock!” 

But he’d already run away.

“Another drink, hon?” Gaila said gently, and Jim nodded, saddened. 

Deanna frowned, feeling bad for the blonde she’d been following. Jim seemed totally gone on Spock. She walked over and took a seat next to Jim. “Hi,” she said.

“Hey,” said Jim. “You’re one of Penda’s friends, right?”

“Yeah. Deanna Troi.”

“So, Deanna Troi...did Pen ask you to follow me, or are you a rogue agent?”

De blinked in surprise. “Oh! Uh-“

“It’s alright, dear,” Jim chuckled, patting her shoulder. “I imagine she’s under quite the strain, what with planning a wedding and all. Just let her know I’m not leaving anytime soon; she doesn’t have to worry.”

Deanna tried to smile. “Right. Thanks, Mister Kirk.”

“Call me Jim,” said the man. He sighed and got up. “Oh and by the way, the next time you tail someone, try wearing quieter shoes.” He walked away, strolling along the water’s edge pensively.

“Well, well, well, we meet again,” said a chuckling voice as Gaila popped up from behind the counter with a strawberry daiquiri in her hand. “Can I tempt you to taste my forbidden fruit?” she asked, waggling her eyebrows at De.

Deanna turned away, blushing. “That’s inappropriate.”

“It wasn’t inappropriate last night when we were dancing together last night,” said Gaila smugly.

“I was drunk,” Deanna said haughtily. “And besides, you’re too young for me.”

“I’m two years older than you, babydoll!” Gaila snorted.

“I mean emotionally.”

“Come on, Miss Troi. You just can’t ignore the chemistry between us. The way I get your heart racing, your cheeks flushing, that little low-down tingle you get when you’re around me...”

Deanna turned to look at her sharply, her thick dark hair, almost slapping Gaila in the face. “Didn’t your parents ever teach you not to play with fire?” she said.

“Oh baby, I can handle the heat. I don’t plan on getting out of the kitchen anytime soon.” Gaila grinned.

Deanna finally smiled back. “You have been warned... _ you’re so hot, teasin’ me. So you're blue, but I can't take a chance on a chick like you...that's something I couldn't do.” _ Deanna flippantly hopped off her barstool and began to walk away. Gaila practically vaulted over the bar to catch up with her.  _ ‘There's that look in your eyes. I can read in your face that your feelings are driving you wild...ah, but girl, you're only a child.” _ Gaila grabbed Deanna’s hands and they began to move together.  _ “Well I can dance with you, honey, if you think it's funny,” _ De sang.  _ “Does your mother know that you're out? And I can chat with you, baby, flirt a little maybe. Does your mother know that you're out?” _

Deanna unexpectedly pushed Gaila to the ground, pinning her to a beach towel. Gaila’s eyes widened. “ _ Take it easy _ ,” she gasped.

_ “Take it easy, better slow down, girl,” _ Deanna growled in response.  _ “That's no way to go. Does your mother know?” _

Gaila inhaled again as Deanna slid down her body, inching toward her white wrap skirt. She was into some freaky shit, but  _ right here _ on a public beach?! Maybe Deanna  _ was _ too much for her to handle.  _ “Take it easy!” _ she squeaked, her back arching slightly.

_ “Take it easy, try to cool it, girl. Take it nice and slow. Does your mother know?” _ Deanna pulled away, laughing.

Gaila looked up, wondering what was so funny. Then she saw that the other woman had tied her skirt into a diaper! She flushed and staggered to her feet, undoing Deanna’s handiwork.

Chuckling triumphantly, Deanna plopped back down onto her barstool, sipping her daiquiri. “ _ I can see what you want _ ,” she sang tauntingly.  _ “But you seem pretty young to be searching for that kind of fun...so maybe I'm not the one.” _

Gaila stalked up the beach toward her, grinning predatorily. 

_ “Now you're so cute,” _ said Deanna as she approached. “ _ I like your style, and I know what you mean when you give me a flash... _ ” Deanna raised her leg, propping her ankle on Gaila’s shoulder before she got too close. Gaila smirked and gently ran her fingertips up the inside of De’s thigh.  _ “...of that smile,” _ Deanna finished, shivering. She threw her leg up over Gaila’s head, spinning on her stool.  _ “But girl, you're only a child! Well I can dance with you, honey, if you think it's funny! Does your mother know that you're out?...And I can chat with you baby, flirt a little maybe. Does your mother know that you're out? Does your mother know, does your mother know that you’re out?” _

Gaila leaned forward, and Deanna blew a strawberry scented kiss in her face before sliding away.


	11. S.O.S., You’re Slipping Through My Fingers

Nyota emerged from a dark storage hut with a box of old stuff clutched in her hands. She could could feel a migraine coming on from all the stress as she directed a few of her employees who hanging decorations in the courtyard for the post-wedding reception. God, as soon as Pen was off on her honeymoon, she was going to take a week off herself, go to one of Spock’s fancy-schmancy spas for a week. At least he and Pavel were taking care of Jim, Hikaru, and-

“I see you kept my bagpipes.”

Nyota halted as Monty’s soft voice touched her ears. She clenched her jaw and looked down into the box. Sure enough, a well-loved, tartan set of bagpipes was sitting in the top of the box. She hadn’t even noticed them in the dark. She’d laughed so hard when he’d played them for her the first time...god, that night had been wonderful... “They’re meant to ward off unwanted visitors,” she said without turning around.

Monty came up from behind her and took the box out of her hands, setting it down on a chair. “Listen, I want to talk to you-”

“I think I made myself perfectly clear last night, as well as twenty years ago, that I don’t want to hear what you have to say,” Nyota said harshly.

“I know, I know, that’s not why I’m here, I swear,” said Monty. “I just...I just wanted to give you this.” He pressed a piece of paper into her hands.

Nyota looked down at it and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head at the amount of digits behind the dollar sign on the check. “What the hell is this?!” she exclaimed.

“I know it probably doesn’t even begin to cover the wedding, but I just felt like I should contribute something-”

Nyota thrust it back at him, enraged. “What on Earth makes you think I’d take a handout from you? I’ve been on my own, raised a daughter, and run an entire hotel  _ by myself _ for the last twenty years without your charity, I sure as hell don’t need it now!”

“I know, I know, you’re a formidable woman, Ny, but I just want to-”

“Well, don’t.” Nyota frowned hard at him. “If I want something from you, I’ll ask for it. And spoiler alert, I don’t want anything from you.”

Monty sighed, chuckling wistfully as Nyota began stalking away from him, grabbing up her box again. “You’re haven’t changed a bit, Uhura. Still as stubborn as you were when I met you.”

“As I recall, you rather liked that quality in me,” Nyota grunted.

Monty smiled. “I did. I remember how damn determined you were to fix that bucket o’ bolts motorbike without any help.”

Nyota gave him a Look. “I would’ve figured out it needed new plugs eventually.”

Monty shook his head, chortling fondly at the memory. “You were an absolute mess. Your hair was a bird’s nest, you were covered in sweat and motor oil, and you were swearing up a storm.” His warm eyes shone with nostalgia. “You were the most beautiful vision I’d ever seen.”

Nyota swallowed. “Don’t do that.”

“Nyota-”

“ _ No _ ,” she growled. “You made your decision. What we had is beyond ancient history...it’s  _ prehistoric _ . You don’t just get waltz in and out of people’s lives on a whim, Monty! Especially not after a twenty year interim. Besides, did it ever occur to you that I don’t  _ want _ you anymore? That I don’t need you?”

“You’ve never needed me,” Monty said, stepping forward and touching her arm. “And after what I’ve done, I can understand not wanting me either.” His voice softened. “But can you really look me in the eye and tell me honestly that you don’t still love me?”

Nyota stared into his gaze hopelessly. “...it doesn’t matter anymore. Because you can’t undo the past.”

_ “Where are those happy days, they seem so hard to find,” _ Monty suddenly began to sing.  _ “I try to reach for you, but you have closed your mind. Whatever happened to our love? I wish I understood. It used to be so nice, it used to be so good.” _

Nyota sharply turned away. She couldn’t listen to this. She couldn’t let those walls down, not again.

_ “So when you’re near me, darlin’, can’t you hear me S.O.S.?” _ Monty called after her. Nyota stared at him sadly over her shoulder.  _ “The love you gave me, nothing else can save me, S.O.S.!...When you’re gone...how can I even try to go on? When you’re gone...though I try, how can I carry on?” _

Stifling tears, Nyota quickly turned away again and hurried away, retreating to the kitchen where the cooks were preparing the wedding dinner. She put down the box and leaned against the wall, willing herself not to cry. She looked at the bagpipes still sitting in the box.  _ “You seem so far away, though you are standing near,” _ she sadly sang.  _ “You made me feel alive but something died, I fear. I really tried to make it out--I wish I understood. What happened to our love, it used to be so good...” _

Nyota peeked out the open window and watched Monty help the staff hang decorations.  _ “So when you’re near me, darling, can’t you hear me S.O.S? The love you gave me, nothing else can save me, S.O.S.! When you’re gone...” _

Monty, as if he sensed he was being watched, turned his head to make eye contact with Nyota.  _ “When you’re gone...” _ he echoed.

_ “How can I even try to go on?” _ they sang in tandem.  _ “When you’re gone (when you’re gone)...though I try, how can I carry on?” _

Nyota sadly closed the shutters.

* * *

Penda, feeling restless, was taking a hike out in the woods when she bumped into none other than-

“Tasha!” she gasped.

“Penda bear!” Tasha rushed forward and hugged her tightly. “Holy shit, you had me so scared last night. I’ve searching all over the island for you. Why didn’t you come find me after Dr. McCoy let you go?”

Penda burst into tears. She just couldn’t hold back anymore.

“Oh my God, I’m sorry,” said Tasha quickly. “I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’m not mad at you, I was just worried, honest.”

“No, no,” Pen sobbed. “It’s not that. It’s just...everything’s falling apart around me and I feel like it’s all going to blow up in my face.”

“Oh, baby...” Tasha held her close for several minutes, rubbing her back. “Maybe Dr. McCoy was right. Maybe we shouldn’t get married.”

Penda pulled back, looking at her sharply. “ _ Not _ get married?” she repeated disbelievingly. “What are you saying, you don’t want to marry me?”

“I’m not saying that at all, I just mean not today. I mean we have our whole lives to get married. We’ve always wanted to see the world; we could travel and then maybe someday-”

“I can’t believe you!” Penda exclaimed. “You wait till the day of our wedding to tell me we shouldn’t get married?! Me and my mom do all this crap, go to all this troubles, and  _ who knows _ when I’ll ever see my dads agai-” Penda froze. Shit. Tasha wasn’t supposed to know about that.

Tasha looked at her suspiciously. “Your dads? What dads?”

“I...” Penda sighed. “Jim and Scotty and Hikaru. I found their names in my mom’s old diary. Apparently they were all with her at some point during the summer I was conceived, so...I invited them here because I wanted to meet my dad and have him walk me down the aisle-”

“Oh. My. God.” Tasha took a step back. “That’s really what this is all about. You don’t care about marrying me. You...you planned all of this as some crazy scheme to find your father.”

“That’s not true!” Pen said quickly. “I’m marrying you because I love you.”

“Then why didn’t you tell me about this hair-brained plan before you sent for these strange men that  _ might _ be your father?” Tasha said. “Did you even consult Nyota?”

“Look, I didn’t tell you because this is how I knew you’d react-”

“If you knew I’d react this way, then you shouldn’t have done it.” Tasha turned away angrily.

“Where are you going?” Pen said tearfully.

“I have to go help finish setting up our wedding.” Tasha stomped a few paces away, then paused. “I love you,” she said over her shoulder. “But if you want to marry me, then it should be for me. Nothing else.” Then she disappeared into the trees.

Penda sniffled hard, wiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. Then she heard a rustle behind her and jumped.

“Easy,” said Hikaru soothingly. “It’s just us.” He stepped out of the brush with Uncle Pavel trailing after him. Hikaru walked over and wrapped his arms around Penda. Pen gratefully returned the hug.

Pavel touched her shoulder with concern. “What makes you cry, little one?”

Pen tried to smile. “Just...stress. That’s all it is.”

“We heard you fighting with Tasha.”

Penda tensed. “What did you hear?”

Hikaru smiled at her sheepishly. “That you might not be my child after all?”

“Oh no...” she groaned.

“Your mother is going to kill you when she finds out that you’re the reason they’re here,” Pavel added.

“Oh please don’t tell her!” Penda gasped.

“Of course we won’t tell her,” Pavel reassured her. “But she will find out eventually. That woman is like a falcon--she always gets her prey.”

“I’ll...I’ll tell her after the wedding,” Penda sighed. “By then it won’t matter.” She looked up at Hikaru, who was still hugging her. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you-”

“It’s alright, petal,” Hikaru said soothingly. “Even if I’m not your dad, I am so glad to have come here and met you. And to have seen my old friends again.” Hikaru smiled at Pavel.

Penda sniffled, squeezing him with gratitude. “You guys are too nice. Everyone’s being too nice to me, considering how much of a brat I’ve been.”

“Hey, it’s your wedding day,” Hikaru chuckled. “You’re allowed to be as much of a brat as you want.” Then he turned serious. “But you should be resting. You took a bad turn last night, and all the self-torture is not helping that.”

“Listen to your maybe-daddy,” Pavel agreed. “Go back to your room and make it a spa day. Light some candles and take a bubble bath. That’s what your Uncle Spock does when he’s upset.”

Penda smiled. “Thank you, you guys. I love you so much.” She tugged them both into a hug.

* * *

It was t-minus two hours till Penda had to be at the chapel on the hill to marry Tasha, and Nyota hadn’t seen her daughter all day. She found her in probably what should have been the most obvious place--her room.

“Shit!” Penda was exclaiming, staring in dismay at a shaving nick on her leg. She was wrapped up in a towel, just having gotten out of the bath.

“You’re shaving your legs?” Nyota said as she shut the door. “You never shave your legs. You always say shaved legs are a symbol of the patriarchy’s unfair double standards of feminine hygiene.”

“They are!” Penda said. “But I just...ya know...thought it’d be nice to have smooth silky legs for my wedding night.”

“Yeah, cause I’m sure Tasha really cares about that.”

Penda glared at her. “Would you just help me?” A dribble of blood was running down her shin.

“Of course, baby girl.” Nyota fetched the Neosporin and a Band-Aid, as well as a couple of tissues to mop up the mess. She patched Penda’s leg up and said, “There. Do you want me to kiss it to make it feel better?”

“Ha ha,” Penda said, still gladly accepting a kiss on the forehead from her mother. “Can you...help me with my hair and makeup and stuff too?”

Nyota smiled. “Why do you think I’m here?”

As Nyota pinned and combed her daughter’s hair, she let her mind wander back to the years when Penda was just a toddler. She remembered clipping little pink bow-shaped barrettes in her hair on her first day of preschool. After she’d walked into the building, Nyota had had to park the Jeep around the corner as tears fell from her eyes. She’d felt as though she was giving her daughter away to the rest of the world that day. She felt a similar sensation now. It was a bittersweet notion.

_ Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning, _ Nyota sang to herself wistfully.  _ Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile. I watch her go, with a surge of that well-known sadness, and I have to sit down for a while... _

Penda smiled at her mom in the mirror.

_ The feeling that I’m losing her forever, _ Nyota mused, making herself smiling back.  _ And without really entering her world. I’m glad whenever I can share her laughter, that funny little girl. Slipping through my fingers all the time, I try to catch her every minute...the feeling in it, slipping through my fingers all the time. Do I really see what in her mind? Each time I think I’m close to knowing...she keeps on growing, slipping through my fingers all the time. _

“Mom, how do you always get your eyeliner wings so symmetric?” Penda asked.

Ny smiled. “Your Uncle Spock showed me, a long, long time ago. It took years for me to master it.” She sat down beside Penda, picking up a makeup brush. “Of course it’s so much easier doing it on someone else than yourself.”

As she brushed on contour and blush, she continued to silently reminisce.  _ Sleep in our eyes, her and me at the breakfast table. Barely awake, I let precious time go by. Then, when she’s gone, there’s that old melancholy feeling, and the sense of guilt I can’t deny...What happened to those wonderful adventures? The places I had planned for us to go...well, some of that we did, but most, we didn’t. And why, I just don’t know... _

“I should’ve gotten a pedicure,” Penda sighed, as she sat with her eyes shut. “I’m wearing sandals and everyone’s gonna be looking at my gross feet and my ugly bare toenails. Do you think there’s time to paint them real fast?”

“They wouldn’t properly dry in time, and the last thing you want on a white dress is nail polish,” Nyota chuckled, perfectly drawing a sweeping wing along her daughter’s eyelid. “Now would you quit twitching? This is going to come out all willy-nilly.”

“I can’t help it! It’s involuntary,” Penda giggled.

Nyota giggled back.  _ Slipping through my fingers all the time, I try to catch her every minute...the feeling in it, slipping through my fingers all the time. Do I really see what in her mind? Each time I think I’m close to knowing...she keeps on growing, slipping through my fingers all the time... _

After they were done with the makeup, Penda stepped into her dress and Nyota zipped it up the back. Then she stood behind her as they both stared at her in the mirror.

After a minute, Penda finally spoke up. “You know, I always pictured having my dad walk with me down the aisle.”

Nyota’s stomach turned guiltily. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry-”

“No, it’s okay,” said Penda, turning around to look at her. “Because I never needed one. You’ve been a mother and father to me my whole life...will you walk me down the aisle?”

Nyota smiled brightly. “I would be honored.”

Penda looked back in the mirror, taking in her dress again. “Wow...I’m getting  _ married _ .”

“Scary to think about I know,” Nyota sighed, clutching her hand. “My baby girl...”

“ _ Sometimes I wish that I could freeze the picture,” _ they sang together.  _ “And save it from the funny tricks of time. Slipping through my fingers...” _

Penda exhaled. “Well...ready?”

Nyota laughed, holding back tears. “Baby, I may never be ready. But  _ you _ are.”

* * *

As the attendants helped Penda up onto the donkey, Nyota watched her with a proud, yet heartbroken smile. _”Schoolbag in hand, she leaves home in the early morning,”_  she sang softly. “ _Waving goodbye with an absent-minded smile...”_


	12. The Winner Takes It All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys... we're almost done! 
> 
> There's this chapter, the next, and the epilogue and that's it!! Me and Cat are so excited to give you this chapter- The wedding scene!! 
> 
> Enjoy it all you spirk lovers. dedicated to sarah, my fantabulous beta because I LOVE HERRRRR

Hikaru gladly headed up with the procession, but Pavel found himself hanging back. He and Spock were a part of the unofficial bridal party, wearing white suits. Spock was chewing on his lip, looking sad. 

 

Pavel mentally reviewed his  _ kick Jim Kirk’s ass  _ plan, it was 20 years in the making after all. He’d round up Nyota later and they’d get to finally execute it. 

He went over quietly and touched his arm. Spock looked down at him, sighing “Hey.”

“You good?” Pavel asked, and Spock nodded, then shook his head, then nodded again, then settled on a shrug. 

“Is it Jim?” Pavel asked, and Spock nodded once again. “But also… I find myself reluctant to leave again.”

“So don’t!” Pavel encouraged, “I’m sticking around for a few weeks. Your head of a  _ department _ my friend- say it’s a business trip!”

Spock smiled, but shook his head. “No, no… I need to get back to my work. I like it too much. And besides, if I stay…”

_ He will too,  _ he didn’t say. But Pavel heard it and sighed, nodding. 

“C’mon, let’s go. We have to give away our unofficial niece.”

“Isn’t it official at this point? We might have dated her dads.” 

Pavel laughed his way up the hill, arm-in-arm with Spock. 

 

* * *

 

Nyota was at the back of the procession, watching her daughter smile and wave and laugh with her bridesmaids. She spotted Jim, and Hikaru, both lagging along in the line. She was too tired to care. A hand rested on her shoulder, and she sighed, turning to see Monty there. “Are you alright?” he asked.

Nyota pulled her shoulder away, rolling her eyes. “Why does everyone keep asking me that? I’m fine!...Fine enough.”

Monty stared at her, heterochromatic eyes piercing her soul in that way they always did. 

“Y’know, me, your friends, Jim, Hikaru, even Penda. We’re all just trying to help you. We get it, you’re Superwoman. But your daughter would be feeling less apprehensive about leaving if she knew you were letting people help you,” Monty said quietly. “And Spock and Pavel would probably worry less, and so would I. You don’t have to do it all alone anymore, Nyota.” 

Nyota looked away, feeling her lips tremble. She shook her head quietly, and Monty sighed and walked away, following the procession. 

Alone again, Nyota sighed, feeling a bone deep exhaustion. She really had spent a long time doing it all herself. She laughed bitterly--let someone in. Yeah, the last time she’d done that, Montgomery Scott had ruined her. 

_ “I don’t wanna talk,”  _ she sang quietly,  _ “about the things we’ve gone through…thought it’s hurting me...now it’s history. _ ”

Monty stopped, looking over his shoulder at her, eyes widening.

_ “I’ve played all my cards...and that’s what you’ve done too,” _ Nyota continued.  _ “Nothing more to say...no more ace to play. The winner takes it all...the loser standing small. Beside the victory, that’s her destiny.” _ Nyota hugged herself.  _ “I was in your arms...thinkin’ I belonged there. I figured it made sense...building me a fence...building me a home. Thinkin’ I'd be strong there. But I was a fool...playing by the rules. The gods may throw the dice, their minds as cold as ice. And someone way down here loses someone dear. The winner takes it all...the loser has to fall. It's simple and it's plain, why should I complain?” _

Nyota looked at Scotty longingly.  _ “But tell me does she kiss...like I used to kiss you? Does it feel the same when she calls your name? Somewhere deep inside...you must know I miss you. But what can I say? Rules must be obeyed. The judges will decide, the likes of me abide. Spectators of the show, always staying low. The game is on again...a lover or a friend. A big thing or a small, the winner takes it all!” _

Nyota sniffled.  _ “I don't want to talk,” _ she sang defeatedly.  _ “‘Cause it makes me feel sad. And I understand...you've come to shake my hand. I apologize if it makes you feel bad. Seeing me so tense...no self-confidence. But you see, the winner takes it all!...The winner takes it all!” _ Nyota hugged her shawl around her and brushed past him.  _ “The game is on again! A lover or a friend. A big thing or a small, the winner takes it all!” _

She raced up the rocky path, with Monty shouting after her over the crashing ocean:  _ “NYOTAAAAAH!” _

Once at the top, Nyota looked back down the mountain at him. “ _ The winner takes it...all...” _ she sang softly. Then she turned and headed toward the church.

 

* * *

 

 

HIkaru was taking his seat when he heard a shout behind him. He turned to see- “Ben?!”

“Surprise!” Ben laughed, hugging and kissing him while holding Demora in his arms.

“It certainly is,” said Hikaru, smiling faintly. He kissed her daughter. “Hello sweetie!”

“Papa!” Demora squealed.

Hikaru looked at Ben. “How did you get here?”

“Plane, silly. Then a local said there were no more ferries till tomorrow, but that he’d take us in his rowboat to Kaliope--he was headed to a wedding here. I told him that we were going to the same wedding! Pretty lucky, huh?”

“Uh yeah,” Hikaru said. “Listen, baby, I have to tell you something-” Suddenly the bridal music began to play.

“Tell me later, honey, it’s starting.” Ben tugged Hikaru down into his seat.

Hikaru gulped, smiling nervously.

 

* * *

 

 

Penda gasped as Nyota finally appeared, standing up from the little bench outside the church. “There you are!”

“Sorry, honey, I got...held up.” Nyota took Pen’s arms. “Ready?”

Penda nodded, grinning with excitement.

Pavel and Beverly walked down the aisle first, followed by Spock and Deanna. Then Nyota and Penda walked in, and everyone stood up, beaming at the bride. Penda caught Jim’s eye, and he winked at her. Bones, sitting next to him, nodded approvingly. Then she saw Hikaru sitting with another man and a little girl. That must be his husband and her...possible sister?

Then Penda slowly turned her gaze to Tasha, who was standing at the altar with the officiator. The blonde looked hot as hell in her dark blue blazer and white open-neck shirt. Tasha’s eyes were shining as she stared back at Penda, smiling ear to ear, their argument from earlier that day long forgiven. Penda swallowed a hard lump in her throat and smiled back.

As Penda and Nyota reached the front, Scotty slipped into the back and took a seat as everyone sat back down.

Penda took Tasha’s hands. Then she peeked at the officiator. “Hi, Dr. Chapel,” she whispered.

Christine laughed silently. Then she cleared her throat. “Dearly beloved-”

“Wait,” said Nyota, getting up from the front row where she was sitting beside Spock and Pavel. 

“I can’t let you do this, Pen."

Everyone gasped.

“Mom?” said Penda in shock.

“It’s...your dad,” said Nyota. “He’s here.”

Scotty stood up proudly--and so did Jim. The patrons gasped again, and Jim and Scotty stared at each other in confusion.

“Wow,” Ben whispered, grinning with amusement. “Glad I didn’t miss this wedding.”

“Heh heh,” Hikaru laughed nervously. “Yup.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before,” said Nyota. “I don’t know how, but they all came to your wedding.”

“I know,” said Penda. “I invited them.”

_ “What?” _ Nyota said. “But that’s impossible, I don’t even know which one-- _ oh my God!!!!!!” _

“I found your old diary, I saw Scotty and Jim and Hikaru in there. I knew my dad must be one of them.”

Ben looked at Hikaru sharply.  _ “What.” _

“Uh...that was what I was gonna tell you,” said Hikaru, nervously standing up.

“Hold on,” said Scotty. “You’re telling me that Penda  _ might _ be my daughter--but she might also be Jim’s or Hikaru’s?”

The patrons were muttering to themselves, giving Nyota some pointed looks. Nyota glared at them. “Hey don’t judge me! If I were a man, you’d all be giving me a high five! And  _ you  _ can’t talk, Montgomery Scott—you left me to go get married!”

“Now hold on just a second!” Scotty said, stepping into the aisle. “I left, that I admit, but I came back! I left to tell Tara the wedding was off and came back here only to find you were with some heartbroken rockstar! Tara called me an idiot and controlled my life for the next ten years to prove it!” 

Nyota blinked. Then flushed.  _ Oh. Damn. _

_ “Mom,” _ said Penda, spinning her mom back around. “I don’t care if you slept with  _ hundreds _ of men...you’re my mom. I love you. Can you forgive me for going behind your back?”

Nyota laughed tiredly. After all the hijinks of the past 48 hours, she was just glad to finally be making some sense of it all. “Of course I do...can you forgive me for not telling you about them?”

“Of course,” said Penda, hugging. She looked out at her three maybe-daddies. “I’m just glad I got to meet all you guys. This has been the most incredible two days of my life.” She turned back to Christine. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Christine nodded, looking somewhat confused. “Dearly beloved-”

“No, wait, I’m not!” Penda exclaimed. “I have  _ no clue _ who my dad is--and I don’t mind.”

“Neither do I,” said Hikaru, scooting between legs to get to the front. He put his hands on Penda’s shoulders. “My husband’s probably ready to kill me...”

Ben stared back at him with a slightly annoyed but mostly loving gaze.

“...but I’d be proud to be considered part of your family.”

“Same for me,” said Jim, getting up as well. He wrapped his arms around Penda tightly. “I never thought I’d get a chance to be a dad again. Now I’m glad to be even one-third of your dad."

“Aye, me too,” Scotty said, hurrying to join them. “I want my third too. We can find out if you want, but if you’re okay with the three of us-”

“I am, I am,” said Penda eagerly, hugging him. “I love you guys. I wanted to find my dad...and I did. And now I know what I want.” Penda turned to Tasha. “Baby, let’s just  _ not _ get married. I wanna see the world first--and I want you there with me.”

Tasha broke into a wide, relieved grin. “I love you so much.” She gathered Penda up in her arms and kissed her deeply.

“So, uh,” Christine began awkwardly, looking to the mother of the bride for direction.

Nyota cleared her throat. “Sorry, folks! I guess we’ll just clear out here…”

The islanders started leaving. Hikaru quickly went over to Ben and took his hands. “Baby, I’m so sorry, I swear I was gonna tell you-“

“It’s okay, it’s okay,“ Ben insisted, pulling Hikaru into a hug. 

Demora frowned, looking between her parents. “So there’s not gonna be a wedding?” she asked loudly. 

“Wait!” Jim shouted, and everyone froze. 

“There…” He hesitated, then glanced at Spock.  “There can still be a wedding today.” 

There was some murmuring, Pavel, Nyota, and Penda gasped, and Spock flushed.

Jim went over and took Spock’s hands. “Spock,  _ quierdo-“ _

Spock shook his head, stepping back. “Jim,” he said, blinking rapidly to avoid admitting he was tearing up, “We  _ can’t.” _

“Why not!” Jim said, beaming now. “You love me, and I love you.” His eyes went soft. “So marry me, Spock.” 

“I...” Spock blinked, then swiped at his eyes. “Jim. We can’t do this again. The last time...” He faltered, swallowing. “The last time...Jim, I was  _ ruined.  _ I’m…I’m scared.”

“Spock,  _ I love you,”  _ Jim said fiercely. “I have been in love with you for 20 years. There has not been  _ anyone  _ other than you for 20 years, and I bet you feel the exact same way.” Jim grinned at him. “ _ I can’t conceal it! Don’t you see, can’t you feel it?!”  _ he sang _.  _

Nyota and Pavel ran over and grabbed Spock’s arms. 

_ “Say I do!”  _ they sang eagerly.  _ “I do, I do, I do, I do, I do…” _

_ “Baby, please show it. You love me, and you know it!” _ Jim raised his eyebrows expectantly, knowing Spock was about to cave.

Everyone stared at Spock. Spock swallowed under all the attention.  _ “I do!”  _ he squeaked. He rushed forward to grab Jim’s arms. “I do, I do, I do...love you, I mean.” 

And before Spock could think, Jim was kissing him. Spock felt weak in the knees— _ no one  _ kissed like Jim Kirk, no one.

Spock pulled away, swallowing. “I love you, I do.” He looked up. “But Jim, we can’t just get married!” 

The audience groaned, and Spock shot them a glare. “Oh, shut it! A lot of weird shit has happened over the last couple of days, but this is what rational human beings do! There’s a lot of thought that goes into a wedding-“ 

“He should know, he’s had three of ‘em,” Pavel muttered.

“Shut  _ up,  _ Pav!” Spock snapped.

“But baby, all the thought’s been done for us!” Jim gestured at the chapel around them. “We have a venue, an officiant, you have your brides—er,  _ groom’s _ maids.” He pointed to Nyota and Pavel, then jumped away from Spock, hauling Bones out of his seat and clapping him on the shoulder. “And look! I even have my best man!”

“Who said I’d be your best man?” Bones asked. Jim pouted at him. Leonard rolled his eyes. “Of course I’ll be your best man, ya idiot.” 

Jim grinned and looked at Spock, who sighed in exasperation.

Jim continued. “My possible daughter is here, I don’t like any of my extended family, your mom isn’t with us—I’m  _ so sorry  _ about that, by the way-“

“You know about that?” Spock said, genuinely touched.

Jim smiled a bit. “It was on the news. I tried to send flowers but the secretary I called only spoke Japanese. You don’t want your dad here, do you?” 

Spock paled at the notion, and Jim grinned. “C’mon baby, just say yes!” 

“Jim, you can’t just-...we haven’t seen each other in 20  _ years,  _ we don’t have a license-“

“We never filled ours out! You just have to sign and get it notarized!” Penda said encouragingly. 

“Well, what about rings?” Spock asked. 

“Borrow ours!” Ben blurred out. Hikaru gave him a strange look, and Ben shrugged. “It’s for a good cause.” Hikaru nodded in agreement and they both lended them to Jim.

Spock felt his blush deepen as everyone stared at him, and he sighed, shaking his head. “I-I travel. A lot. For work. I don’t even have a house-“

“I have an apartment! Bones will probably be  _ happy  _ to have it to himself.” 

“I work-“

“I can write from  _ literally  _ anywhere. Besides...” He grinned, roguish and full of everything Spock had fallen in love with. “I absolutely  _ have  _ to give Valek a bard boyfriend now.” 

Spock felt his heart flutter in his chest as his desperation to grab Jim and never let him go again warred with his sense of logic. “We’re completely different people-“

“Oh, for fucks sake!” Leonard shouted, throwing his hands up. “You two are  _ fucking hopeless!” _

_ “Leonard!” _ Hikaru clapped his hands over the ears of a very shocked looking Demora. “There are  _ children _ present!”

“Aw shi-uh, I mean...poop.” Bones whirled around on Jim and Spock. “Alright, I’ll keep my rant G rated.”

Jim looked amused. “Bones-“

“No! Shut up, both of ya! I’ve listened to  _ him  _ pine over  _ you,”  _ he stressed, pointing at Jim and then Spock, “for twenty  _ fudging _ years! And then this idiot drags me to an island in fudging Greece because he’s worried about  _ you  _ and then I end up at some fudging wedding for two complete strangers and  _ I still haven’t gotten an open fudging bar.  _ You two are fudging insane about one another so just seal the fudging deal so we can all get the fudge out of here!” 

Spock stared at Jim, blinking. Pavel nudged him. “You know, you’ll regret it forever if you don’t,” he muttered. 

Spock looked at his friends, then back at Jim. Jim took two steps forward and smoothly fell to one knee. He held out one of the rings. 

Spock swallowed. It was  _ Jim.  _ The look in his eyes was  _ Jim.  _ The same eyes that had smiled at him from the stage, that had taught him how wonderful life could be, that had gotten him to dance for the first time, that had left him alone in Austria, that he had dreamed about for twenty years.

The eyes that had burst back into his life and made him realize how empty it all had been.

He wanted to love again, he wanted to love  _ Jim  _ again, and here Jim was, offering him true love and commitment and everything he had ever wanted on a platter. 

Desire beat out reason. 

“Okay,” he said softly, and then again, louder, more sure. “Okay. Yes.  _ Yes,  _ let’s-“ He blinked and realized he was crying. “Let’s get married.  _ Please  _ let’s get married.” 

Jim beamed and jumped to his feet, pulling him into a quick kiss. 

“Everyone! We’re having a wedding 20 years in the making!” Penda shouted, jumping to usher everyone back in. Bev and De gladly handed their bouquets to Nyota and Pavel, giggling with Tasha. Bones clapped Jim on the back and took his place.

Hikaru nudged Jim. “We’re expecting those rings  _ back,  _ by the way. You’re lucky my husband is such a fan of true love.”

When everyone was settled, Jim and Spock stood at the front of the altar, unable to contain their excitement. Penda had given Spock her flower crown, and now that he’d gotten used to the idea, he couldn’t stop smiling. 

Dr. Chapel opened her book. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to join these two people—not who we planned, but still two people who love one another—in holy matrimony. My job up here is supposed to be to lead the ceremony and their vows. But considering what we’ve just witnessed—what I think we’ve all noticed over the last 48 hours—vows feel a little unnecessary.”

Jim and Spock nodded, and Christine smiled gently. “Very well, then. May I please have the borrowed rings?”

Leonard handed them over, and Christine handed one to Jim. 

“Spock, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, for richer, for poorer, in good times and bad, sickness and health, till death do you part?”

“I do.” Spock breathed, and Jim smiled so hard, his eyes crinkled. 

“Place the ring on his finger and repeat after me; I, James Kirk, do take you, Spock Grayson, to be my husband, to love and have, till death do we part.”

Spock bit his lip, trying to keep from crying again as Jim said the words, and then darted down to kiss his knuckles before straightening. 

“Do you, Jim, take-”

“I  _ do.  _ I so so so  _ do.”  _ Jim interrupted, and a chuckle ran around the chapel.

“In his defense, he’s been keeping that one in for 20 years,” Bones muttered. Christine chuckled, nodding. “Very well. Spock, place the ring on Jim’s finger, and repeat after me…”

The vows were finished, and Christine smiled. “By the power vested in me, I hereby pronounce you man and husband, so please, for the love of  _ god,  _ just kiss.”

Spock dragged Jim forward by his lapels, and Jim brought his hands up to cup his face. The chapel exploded in cheering. 


	13. Take A Chance On Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone! Sorry it took us a little while, but we’re on that home stretch! Ali will be posting the epilogue tomorrow, but for now, here’s that post-wedding party we’ve all been waiting for. Cheers! -Cate

The party moved to the reception area, where tables were set up and full of food. Hikaru had yet to put down Demora down, listening to her babble in  _ extreme  _ detail about what he’d missed over the last 48 hours. 

“And then we—oh, Daddy, we didn’t tell him about the plane!” Demora said, and Ben grinned at her. 

“What plane? How did you guys even get tickets?” Hikaru asked suddenly, frowning.

“Oh, I sent them my company jet.” Spock said casually.

Hikaru gaped at him, and Ben squeezed his arm. “Babe, you should’ve seen it. The seats  _ vibrated.  _ They don’t do that in coach.”

“Ooh, vibrating seats, eh?” Jim hugged his husband around the shoulders and winked at him cheekily. “Can’t  _ wait _ to try those out.”

Spock rolled his eyes. “Kinky bastard,” he whispered.

“We both know I’m not the only one, darling,” Jim purred, making Spock blush.

“You have a  _ jet?”  _ Hikaru asked in disbelief.

Pavel pouted next to him. “And we still haven’t gotten to ride in it!” 

“My father’s company has jets,” Spock shrugged.  “I have limited use to it. I wanted to buy more flowers for Penda’s wedding.”

“Yes, because that’s exactly what we need,” Nyota said, already eying the mess she’d have to sweep in her courtyard. “More… _ flowers.” _

“You shipped my family here. On a  _ private jet.”  _ Hikaru repeated, blinking. 

“Oh my god,” Jim said suddenly. “I think I’m a trophy husband.”

The group of newfound friends burst out laughing, and Bones raised a glass in toast. “I knew you had it in you, Jimmy!” 

“You aren’t a  _ trophy husband,”  _ Spock argued.

Pavel snorted. “Honey, you own a private jet.”

“My  _ company-“ _

“Spock, babe, you’re the one percent. You’re practically a sugar daddy. And Jim’s your new trophy husband who you eloped with in Greece.” Nyota said.

Spock stared at her, then whispered, horrified: “My father is going to  _ end my life.” _

“Sarek is gonna send ninjas after us.” 

“He doesn’t have any ninjas, Jim-“

The newlyweds bickered like an old married couple, and Nyota sighed, swirling her drink in her glass and making a list of all the stuff she had to get done tomorrow. Sweeping, laundry, balancing the books  _ (ugh),  _ she had to clear out the chapel and  _ oh,  _ the bill for the cake was due tomorrow and-

“Nyota,” Monty said, putting a hand on her arm. “Come on back to the moment, darling.”

Nyota blinked, shaking her head, “Sorry,” she said, sighing. “Just thinking about...hold on a minute.” She frowned at him. “I am  _ not  _ your darling. I never said I was taking you back.” 

Scotty grinned at her, and Nyota felt her heart flutter in her chest. “C’mon, Nyota—you kept my bagpipes and everything!” 

“That doesn’t mean anything! I literally  _ never  _ said I was taking you back!” Nyota said, blushing, looking away. 

Scotty paused to consider this point. He smiled. “True. But you never said you weren’t either.”

They stared at one another, and Nyota felt her cheeks heating up. There was a crash as someone inevitably broke something made of glass or porcelain, and Nyota swallowed. “I—I should go check on that,” she managed, voice somewhat hoarse. She got up and started to walk away. Scotty frowned, watching her go. Then he stood up and followed her to the edge of the courtyard before grabbing her wrist.

_ “If you change your mind…”  _ he sang softly, and Nyota froze.  _ “I’m the first in line,”  _ Monty continued, slowly turning her around. “Honey… _ I’m still free. Take a chance on me…”  _

Nyota bit hard on her lip, and Scotty smiled handsomely. She didn’t even notice Pavel looking at them with a curious expression, nudging Spock. 

_ “If you need me let me know, I’m gonna be around…if you’ve got no place to go, if you’re feeling down!” _

“Speech!” Pavel shouted, clinking his glass. Spock smirked and raised his glass too. Penda started clapping. Monty smirked at her, and Nyota sighed. Everyone was staring at them now...okay, fine. 

She turned to him and gave him a shove.  _ “If you change your mind! I’m the first in line!”  _ she sang, and Penda and her friends cheered.  _ “Honey, I’m still free! Take a chance on me! If you need me, let me know, I’m gonna be around! If you got no place to go, if you’re feeling down!” _

“Go Nyota!” Spock and Pavel cheered. Nyota rolled her eyes and started to walk away, but Monty grabbed her hand again. 

_ “We can go dancing!”  _ he sang, spinning her into a waltz hold, which she easily slipped out of. 

_ “We can go  _ **_walking,_ ** _ ”  _ Nyota replied tersely, and Monty wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her. 

_ “As long as we’re together!” _ he sang cheerfully. “ _ Listen to some music-“ _

_ “Maybe just talking,”  _ Nyota sang, amused now, and Monty kissed her shoulder.  _ “You’ll get to know me better.” _

_ “‘Cause you know I got!”  _ Hikaru sang, grabbing Ben and pulling him out onto the floor for a dance.  _ “So much that I wanna do!” _

_ “When I dream I’m alone with you,”  _ Ben sang, laughing,  _ “it’s magic!”  _

Across the dance floor, Deanna swallowed and tapped Gaila on the shoulder.  _ “You want me to leave it there?”  _ she sang cautiously.

_ “Afraid of a love affair?”  _ Gaila responded.

De flushed.  _ “But I think you know…”  _ she sang, and Gaila smirked and pulled her close.  _ “That I can’t let…go…”  _

Bev and Penda cheered as De  _ finally  _ let Gaila kiss her. Then Penda was grabbed by the elbow as Tasha pulled her out for a dance. 

_ “If you change your mind! I’m the first in line!”  _ they sang, dancing happily.  _ “Honey, I’m still free! Take a chance on me!”  _

_ “Gonna do my very best, and it ain’t no lie,”  _ Jim sang, holding Spock in his lap while their friends danced.

Spock smiled, bright and happy, and pressed his forehead to Jim’s.  _ “If you put me to the test, if you let me try…”  _

They kissed sweetly, and Nyota smiled at her friend, at all her friends enjoying the party. 

_ “Take a chance on me?” _ Scotty asked, and Nyota sighed, but nodded, smiling. He beamed at her, and led her out for a dance. Everyone got into it—singing and dancing and stomping their feet and laughing and drinking—it was  _ perfect.  _

And then, little Demora Sulu jumped up, and landed on her feet. And the rumble that ensued sent her stumbling into her father’s legs.

Water burst from the crack in the tiled patio, spewing like a geyser. 

“Oh my god,“ Penda shrieked, and Nyota grabbed her wrist.

“It’s Aphrodite’s fountain!” Nyota shouted.  _ “It’s Aphrodite’s fountain!”  _

Penda laughed, grabbing her hands. “Mom! You got a tourist attraction! We’re gonna get so much business!” 

The ladies squealed and hugged tightly. The islanders all rejoiced, catching the water in their cups to try and drink it. 

Hikaru scooped up Demora, kissing her forehead and then Ben’s cheek, while Gaila tugged Deanna away for who knows what. 

Tasha stole Penda from Nyota for a kiss, and Nyota giggled as Spock tugged her into a hug. Pavel wrapped his arms around them both, half drunk from toasting his friend’s happiness. 

Scotty eventually cut in, kissing Nyota on the hand. And Jim took Spock’s hands, holding him close. He’d stripped off his shirt—typical.

“I don’t get it,” he said. “Why’s everyone drinking the water?”

Spock snorted. “Aphrodite’s fountain is said to be the center of love, and if you drink its water, you’ll find true love and happiness.”

“Oh,” Jim said, stepping back enough to smile at him, “I don’t need water for that.” 

“Oh really?” Spock asked, raising a brow at him. He was smiling, his cheeks were flushed, there were flower petals in his hair. 

Jim felt his heart tighten in his chest. _I am_ ** _never_** _letting you go again._ Jim bent down and curved his elbows under Spock’s knees, lifting him up so Spock was clinging to him, his legs wrapped around his waist. “Really,” Jim said.

Spock smiled and gave him a slow kiss. 

Yeah, who needed a fountain anyway?


	14. I Have a Dream, Reprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, Ali here. 
> 
> This is it. The final chapter. 
> 
> This one's dedicated to all of you.

_ 6 Months Later... _

Spock curled tighter under the blankets, groaning as his alarm beeped loudly in his ear. He just wanted to sleep, just a bit longer.

The hotel room was cold, and Spock groaned, pulling the blankets over his head. 

He heard the creaking of the floor, and felt his personal furnace slip back into the bed, and Spock sighed, smiling a bit as Jim kissed his neck. “Why’d you get up?” Spock yawned.

Jim hummed. “Had to pee. Didn’t even know the alarm was about to go off or I’d’ve woken you myself.”

“And how would you have done that, hm?” Spock asked, then squeaked when Jim rolled him over and kissed him, pinning him to the bed. Spock felt the blankets tangle around his legs and laughed, knowing he was trapped.

Jim pulled away enough to smirk at him. “Hey there, gorgeous.”

“Hi,” Spock said, squirming against him and feeling Jim’s morning wood press into his hip. Spock rolled his eyes. “Pervert.”

“Dreamed about you,” Jim muttered, mouthing at the hickey he’d made last night on Spock’s neck. Spock shuddered-

And then the alarm went off again. 

Spock groaned. “I must’ve hit the snooze. Gimme a second-”

He groped for the phone and looked at the screen. Then he blinked and looked at it again.   
“What?” Jim asked, rolling off Spock. 

“...this alarm says we have to leave for the plane.”

“Plane doesn’t take off until eight. We set the alarm for six, right?”

“I always set two. One for wake, one for leave.”

The two men stared at each other. 

“Jim,” Spock asked slowly, “What time is it?”

Jim looked at the clock next to the bed.

“...7:45.”

“Ah  _ shit.” _

They sprung out of bed, throwing clothes at one another and dressing as quick as possible.

“I don’t get it! I know I set two alarms!”

“In AM or PM?”

“God  _ dammit.” _

Jim laughed and kissed him between pulling shirts over their heads. 

“I’m making you less efficient. Your dad’s right.”

“My dad can kiss my ass,” Spock said, and Jim snorted, grabbing the ticket info off the desk. 

They took the elevator down, and Spock managed to flag down a cab while Jim checked out. 

Jim slid into the backseat with Spock as Spock was giving the address. The driver started to go, and Spock winced as the car shifted.

“Swedes,” Jim muttered, and Spock bit back a snort, twining his fingers with Jim’s. “Hopefully the plane will be running behind. You’re not wearing a belt?”

“Sweetheart, I have been doing this for six months, I am the  _ master  _ of airports.”

“Well  _ I’ve  _ been doing this for 18 years, I don’t think there’s a TSA agent  _ alive  _ who doesn’t know me and I  _ still  _ get stopped.”

“You’re so  _ cute  _ when you’re smug,  _ Koito.” _

_ “Koibito,”  _ Spock corrected, heart fluttering at Jim’s casual attempt at Japanese, “and shut up.”

Jim laughed the rest of the way to the airport. They walked in hand in hand, only letting go to pass through security. Their rings-  _ their  _ rings, mailed to them from Paris while they stayed at the hotel on their honeymoon- their rings clicked against one another, in a way that always made Spock’s heart do a happy dance.

Luckily, the plane hadn’t taken off, but the attendant who seated them in first class scowled at them. Jim ignored the typical safety lecture in favor of pulling out his laptop and getting set up. 

“How’s it going?” Spock whispered in his ear, and Jim smiled. The plane started to move as he leaned over and read,  _ “Valek sighed, pleased as he curled between Maria and his bard. His shoulders felt lighter than they had in months if not years. It felt as though he’d finally found a kernel of happiness.” _

Spock smiled, leaning up to kiss Jim’s cheek. “You’d better believe it. Will I get an acknowledgement in this one?”

“Of course,” Jim lied. 

No acknowledgement was needed—the whole story was dedicated to his eternal muse. 

 

* * *

 

Hikaru placed a plate of pancakes in the middle of the table, and mentally counted the seconds between Pavel and Demora each going for the top of the stack. Pavel won this morning at five seconds, while Demora took seven to secure hers. He chuckled to himself, flipping the bacon. 

He glanced out the window at Ben, watering the flowers in the boxes on the balcony. He smiled softly. Penda and Tasha had been through a few weeks ago. Penda had been so delighted by all their plants, and Ben had been puffed up in pride since. Hikaru was delighted that Penda got along with the rest of his family—Demora thought her new sister was a queen, and Ben and Tasha got along like a house on fire.

“Hikaru!  _ Hikaru!” _

_ “Daddy!” _

Hikaru blinked, shaking himself from his thoughts and glancing back at the table. Demora was pouting. “Can you cut them for me?”

Hikaru smiled. “Of course, sweetie.”

He sat down and started cutting them, and Pavel grinned at him. “Can you cut mine for me too?” he asked.

“Screw you, Pav.”

Pavel gasped in mock offense. “Really? On today, the day I am leaving, I am  _ offended,  _ Hikaru!”

Hikaru snorted, but felt a twinge at his friend leaving them. Pavel was an idyllic house guest—he helped out in the shop, watched Demora, cooked, cleaned—he did everything short of pay rent, which Ben had staunchly refused. Pavel was taking the boat, going to do  _ something  _ with it.  _ Sail to Japan and kick Sarek’s ass  _ were his exact words, but Hikaru figured Spock and Nyota would talk him out of it. 

Well, Spock would, Nyota was apparently encouraging him. 

Those three could take over the world if they tried. 

“You’ll take care of my boat?” Hikaru asked, and Pavel rolled his eyes. 

“Do you have’ta go, Uncle Pasha?” Demora asked, and Pavel smiled endearingly at her. “Sorry,  _ printsessa.  _ It’s time for me to move on.”

Demora whined, And Hikaru chuckled, kissing her head. “Hey now—we’ll send letters, and we can call him, just like we do with Gramma, right?” 

Demora pouted, but nodded once before taking a bite of her pancakes. Pavel smiled at her.

Hikaru looked at him. “What will you _actually_ do, Pavel?”

“I’m thinking of writing another book actually,” Pavel replied. “This time, all about international foods. I’ve got friends all over the world, people who will be willing to show my the local cuisine. And I’m going to keep a blog about my travels too.”

“Will you bring me back something?” Demora asked, swinging her legs.

“Of course, darling.”

“What’s your first stop?” Hikaru asked.

“Australia. Starting with A seemed like a good idea.”

“Well when you make your way to Japan, I have a cousin there who makes the world’s  _ greatest _ sushi...”

 

* * *

 

Nyota sighed and wiped her brow. There, the last flier was hung. The painting of Aphrodite’s fountain was starting this weekend, and a bunch of islanders were coming out to help. 

Nyota hummed as she walked back up towards her room. She had to finish prepping the new rooms. Tourism had  _ really  _ picked up, especially amongst native Greeks who hadn’t even known she existed. 

She also had to review people wanting to rent her out for events, and… 

And…

She paused in her walking. Glancing down at the docks. She could see them from the top of the cliffs if she squinted.

That guy looked like Scotty.

She shook her head—he’d gone back to MIT, he had to at least finish out this next year before he could come back, not to mention he had tenure. He called, he wrote—Tasha taught her about this thing called  _ Skype,  _ and it was helpful to say the least.

The old anxiety had kicked up, told her he was never coming back. She tried very hard not to believe it. But he was an  _ MIT  _ professor, she’d never get to keep him.

The relationship wouldn’t last. She reminded herself of that as she walked up to her room. 

She plopped on her bed and sighed, pulling out her journal and grabbing her guitar. She opened her newest song, and started to sing.

* * *

 

 

_ “I have a dream…a song to sing…to help me cope…with anything…” _

 

* * *

 

Somewhere in the sky, Jim pulled Spock close to him. He’d nodded off a little while ago, and who knew where they were going next? Jim didn’t.

He leaned down to kiss the top of his head. 

“Never gonna let you go,” he muttered.

He could have sworn Spock smiled.

 

* * *

 

_ “If you see the wonder… of a fairy tale… you can face the future… even if you fail…” _

 

* * *

 

In San Francisco, the sun had set. The bags were packed and loaded. 

Pavel crouched as Demora ran into his arms, and he squeezed her tightly. “Mm—I’ll call you,  _ da?” _

She nodded into his shoulder, and then stepped back. Hikaru pulled him to his feet and into a tight hug. 

“Take care of yourself, call if you need anything,” he said. Then he muttered under his breath: “And if you hurt my boat,  _ I will find you _ .”

Pavel chuckled. “Hey,  _ odinokiy volk,  _ remember? I’m very self sufficient.” 

Ben shook his hand, and helped him on the boat. The family waved as Pavel sailed away. 

 

* * *

 

_ “I believe in angels...something good in everything I see. I believe in angels...when I know the time is right for me. I’ll cross the sea… I have a dream….” _

 

* * *

 

“Wow.”

Nyota squeaked and looked up at her door. There, in a white button down and looking positively lovestruck…was Scotty.

She stared at him. “You—what are you doing here?! You have class in like, 2 hours your time!” 

Scotty grinned. “Ah well, I missed you, so I quit my job.”

Nyota stared at him, flabbergasted. Her guitar slid of her lap and thunked against her bedframe. 

Scotty shrugged, “I wasn’t happy there. And I hear you need an engineer to fix things up at the hotel. I got a PhD.”

Nyota was still frozen. He quit his job. For  _ her.  _ What the actual-

Scotty cleared his throat, shifted uncomfortably.

“I, I guess I might’ve presumed-“

And then Nyota sprang off the bed and threw herself at him for a kiss. 

 

* * *

 

_ “Across the sea… I have a Dream… across the sea…  _ **_I have a Dream…”_ **

Penda’s eyes were closed as she sang the last note. The crowd cheered loudly, and she opened her eyes, smiling and waving a bit. 

In the corner of the karaoke bar, Tasha whistled loudly, grinning and grabbing someone by the shoulder, probably shouting  _ that’s my fiancé  _ at them. 

Penda smiled. 

It was a dream come true.

_ Fin _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap, folks. 
> 
> Thank you guys so much for joining me and Catie on this journey- ey yo cat, when we started this did you think we'd end up dating? #redpanda 
> 
> In addition, I think y'all are the most fitting people to tell... I am officially pulling a rainbow rowell and writing the night elf series Jim writes, so, keep a look out for that. 
> 
> If you like what I do, consider buying me a coffee? https://ko-fi.com/flamingbluepanda 
> 
> And, as always, check me out on tumblr www.flamingbluepanda.tumblr.com
> 
> And P L E A S E go follow my beautiful girlfriend Cat- www.victorian-sexstashe.tumblr.com
> 
> See ya next time!!

**Author's Note:**

> EY COME CHECK US OUT ON THe TUMBLR www.flamingbluepanda.tumblr.com and www.victorian-sexstache.tumblr.com
> 
> SeE YA NEXT TIME


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